STUDENTS have enjoyed a French exchange visit with a difference -- by recording their experiences on video.

A group of A-level students at Turton High School Media Arts College spent two weeks staying with families in Bordeaux and hosted a return visit for their French friends thanks to funding from the European Union.

The Comenius project was created to develop the idea of a language exchange scheme by producing an end product -- a video in the case of the Turton sixth formers and a magazine for the French group.

The 16 Turton students and two staff made a lively video with a commentary in French about their experiences of the Bordeaux area including their visits to the famous vineyards of the region and interviews with French young people.

The video will be edited at Turton's hi-tech media centre and will be watched by pupils studying French at the Chapeltown Road school.

The Bordeaux pupils wrote a magazine, Clip News, which included articles in both French and English.

The cross-cultural friendship will continue thanks to e-mail and staff hope to repeat the scheme if they can secure the funding.

Lynette Walker, Comenius co-ordinator and French teacher at Turton, said: "It was quite difficult organising the video equipment over there but the students really enjoyed the project and it's been a great success."