A DOZEN children are heading off to France for an exchange visit after proving their commitment in a series of exercises.

The children will visit St Nazaire, the historic port on the Bay of Biscay, which has been twinned with Sunderland since 1953.

The children are all from former pit villages between Sunderland and Durham and the trip has been organised by the Herrington Burn YMCA, Easington Lane Access Point, Houghton Access Point and the Coalfields Youth Forum.

Lorna Macleod, of Herrington Burn YMCA, said: "With only 12 places, we wanted to make sure that the most deserving young people were selected for the trip.

"Young people from the area were invited to attend a weekly workshop where they learned about France and why our relationship with other countries is so important. The dozen who attended every week and proved their commitment have been chosen.

"This promises to be a great experience for all those involved."

During their visit to the town, which has strong naval traditions and is still a submarine base for the French Navy, the young people will visit local museums, tour the region and go hiking.