SITTING at their lessons in a classroom in Middlesbrough today are two youngsters who saw their family mercilessly gunned down.

The boys, aged 13 and 15, were smuggled to Britain after spending two months as stowaways, hiding in the back of lorries.

Officials from the North-East Refugee Service are reluctant to give more details about the youngsters.

Like other young asylum seekers starting life afresh, they are eager to succeed - but psychologically scarred.

That has given rise to the Middlesbrough service launching a holiday appeal for all its traumatised young charges. The volunteers have been donated a caravan which they want to make a holiday base.

Now 60 companies and organisations are being targeted by the service in an appeal, which it is hoped will pay site fees and keep the caravan well stocked, while also paying the travelling expenses and pocket money of families using it for a weekend or longer break.

Pete Widlinski, spokes-man for the service, said: "We have quite a few young families with children.

"Schools have found the children to be excellent pupils who make excellent progress.

"However, they have expressed very strongly that, because of the start these children have had in life, they require counselling and extra support.

"They will be in shock," said Pete. "That is why we want to give them a break, a few days off."

Following the school holiday teachers often ask children if they have been on vacation. This, he said, could cause the children of asylum seekers embarrassment, because they have not been anywhere, and increase their sense of isolation.