Three-and-a-half months have passed since the tragedy that claimed the lives of Darlington friends Stuart Adams and Lee Mullis.

The flowers that were laid beneath the town's Five Arches Bridge where they died have long since turned brown. Cards stained with raindrops have curled at the edges.

Ink used to scrawl heartfelt messages has faded to a blurry blue while two football shirts remain, wrapped around posts beneath the arches, tied with stripy school ties.

Small teddies peek out from the remains of what, in the days after the boys' horrific deaths, became a shrine to Stuart and Lee.

The boys were killed by a train while messing around on the tracks on Good Friday, the first day of their Easter holidays.

But while the tributes have decayed, the legacy left by the boys has grown.

In the time since their deaths, groups across Darlington have been galvanised into action, coming up with schemes to provide more youth activities to try to keep youngsters occupied, off the streets and out of danger.

Tragically, this action has come too late for these boys, but their parents hope their deaths were not in vain.

By backing The Northern Echo's No Messin' campaign, they hope no one else will have to suffer as they have.

Trevor Adams, Stuart's father, said: "Because of what has happened to us, I have spoken to hundreds of kids. Almost all of them are good kids, but there is nothing for them to do.

"There is a culture where there is a lot of drinking. It almost feels as if they have gone down the plughole, but they admit that they drink because there is nothing better for them to do.

"We can pull them up out of this, but there has to be something better."

After the boys' deaths, it became apparent moves to improve the situation for youngsters in Darlington had already begun.

Darlington Police had launched a unit of dedicated officers to tackle the growing problem of anti-social behaviour by youngsters.

The team has dried up some of the alcohol supply and has pioneered a scheme in Branksome to provide teenagers with activities on Friday nights.

At the beginning of the year, Network Rail identified Darlington as a railway crime hotspot.

Figures from the Railway Crime Report 2004 had placed the town as Britain's number one railway vandalism hotspot, as well as one of the worst places for trespassing on the line.

Darlington, Hull, Eastbourne and Slough were to be targeted by Network Rail's railway safety campaign - called No Messin'.

The campaign involved a high-profile series of visits to schools, trying to get the message across that the railways are not a playground.

However, as the Darlington scheme was being pulled together, the news broke that two boys had been killed by a train.

The deaths further fuelled the need to stage the event and, at the end of August, Network Rail is to sponsor a weekend of activities in Darlington town centre, including rock climbing, motor biking, DJ workshops, wrestling, skateboarding and basketball.

The aim is to get the railway safety message across to youngsters while they are having fun.

On July 9, The Northern Echo No Messin' supplement will be published, listing hundreds of activities children and youths can enjoy throughout the holidays.

Vandalism and trespassing continue to be a problem across the region. In the 48 hours after Stuart and Lee died, there were a further 18 reports of trespassing on North-East railway lines.

Sergeant Dave Kirton, who heads Darlington police's StreetSafe unit, which works with youths, said: "If you provide positive activities for young people, it diverts them away from causing anti-social behaviour and getting into danger."

A group of pupils from Branksome School took part in a focus group for the No Messin' campaign.

When asked what they do in the evenings, a 16-year-old boy said: "We meet up and end up hanging around in parks and outside shops, but we would rather hang around somewhere else."

A 15-year-old boy said: "You do hang around but, if something gets broken, you get blamed for vandalism.

"We mainly drink because there is nothing to do. Some of them get so hammered they can't walk very well."

The group talked about fights arranged between schools - but said they would rather be playing football.

A 13-year-old added: "I do worry about getting into trouble, because we play football near idiots who do arson and then we get blamed."

People across the community have vowed to fight for more facilities for youths in the wake of Stuart and Lee's deaths.

At Longfield School, where Stuart and Lee were pupils, some students are still receiving counselling.

Headteacher Keith Cotgrave said yesterday: "We have been through a very unsettling time and anything which wakes people up to the lack of facilities and infrastructure for young people is a good thing.

"I hope this campaign encourages more money to be put into facilities for young people. With joint working, we can make things better."

Howard Gilfillan, the headteacher of Branksome School, said: "If this makes a little difference, then it is worth it. It is an issue for the whole community - schools, the local authority, everyone."

And Dean Judson, headteacher of Hurworth School, said: "If young people are occupied, it will save money in police time, reduce vandalism and prevent work for youth offending teams."