Young people from Brentwood are on a global mission - to find and forge links with other Brentwoods around the world.

And they are now organising what is believed to be the world's first 'international namesake conference' - Brentwood 2001 - which will take place here next December.

Following initial internet explorations by students at Brentwood County High, other schools have now taken up the challenge of making contact with the other Brentwoods they have found.

The 'Brentwoods Round the World' initiative seeks to create the first global network of namesake towns and cities. There are many Brentwoods, or Burntwoods, or their foreign name equivalents, around the world and the borough already has links with one in Tennessee, USA.

Students are working on the project with Brentwood Style, which was formed specifically to promote the town through such initiatives.

Director, Brian Lynch, said: "Nothing like this has ever been done anywhere in the world - and with our young people blazing the trails, we can achieve great things globally for Brentwoods in the 21st Century. This is exciting, innovative and imaginative."

It is hoped that with young people making the first contacts, perhaps with 'e-mail pals' in other Brentwoods, academic, cultural and business links will follow and a 'Brentwood Brotherhood' will develop.

Civic and religious leaders and students will be invited to Brentwood 2001, which will be held here but could develop into a moveable feast, travelling the world with different Brentwoods hosting it each year.

Last week, delegates from Brentwood schools divided the world up into continents so they could trawl the internet in their search for namesake towns.

Among them was The Endeavour School, for children with special needs, which has just gone onto the internet in its own right at www.endeavour.essex.sch.uk and which pledged to search Australia.

Head teacher Peter Pryke said: "We know there is at least one Brentwood there and we are hopeful of not just finding more but also schools with our name.

"I would imagine it is a significant name there bearing in mind the first explorations of Australia carried out by the ship Endeavour, commanded by Captain Cook."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.