BUSINESS students have raised more than £2,000 for charity with two concerts.

Nine students on the Key Employee Programme at Durham Business School organised the gigs as a project to encourage them to think creatively and develop new entrepreneurial skills.

The students were given a budget of £20 to turn into cash for the Durham and Wearside branch of Macmillan Cancer Support.

The students used the money to stage two sell-out music gigs, at Consett and Coxhoe, featuring local bands.

Elvira Soria, fundraising manager for Durham and Wearside Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "I'd like to congratulate the group on their success and thank them for supporting such a worthy cause. Every penny really does help.

"At Macmillan Cancer Support we provide practical, medical, emotional and financial support for cancer patients and their families and the money the group raised will go directly towards helping to improve the lives of people affected by cancer in Durham."

The Key Employee Programme is a five-day course designed to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of key staff working within the region's small businesses.

Student Susan Hawley, who has been a supervisor at Cox Agriculture, in Stanley, for eight years, said: "The whole experience has been very rewarding. The team put a lot of time and effort into organising and promoting the charity nights and we were all delighted by their success."