LEISURE facilities in Darlington have received a boost with a £70,000 sports complex refurbishment.

The town's MP, Alan Milburn, performed the opening ceremony at Eastbourne Leisure Centre yesterday.

The centre was opened by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1999. It featured a gym, athletics track and an all-weather floodlit sports pitch.

A bowls green and community facilities were added later.

In the past five years it has played host to 700,000 visitors and has been well used by schools, and local sportsmen and women, including Darlington Harriers athletics' club.

The facilities have also been invaluable in putting heart patients on the road to recovery and are used by Darlington Primary Care Trust for cardiac rehabilitation and the Darlington Coronary Support Group.

The revamp, carried out by borough council contractors, took place over two weeks.

It is also expected to boost the award-winning Chance to Live campaign, run by The Northern Echo with support from health officials, which aims to combat coronary disease in the town.

This campaign was launched by the newspaper following the death of its deputy chief photographer, Ian Weir, aged 38.

It campaigned for more resources to be invested in coronary care and, once that was done, shifted the spotlight on to prevention rather than cure.

Customers were consulted on the types of equipment they wanted to see at the Eastbourne centre.

Technogym cardiovascular and fixed resistance machinery was installed.

That included treadmills, rowing machines, cross-trainers and cycles, chest and shoulder presses, along with plasma screens and Sky TV.

The Darlington trust's healthy lifestyles officer, Ruth Brown, said: "It is fantastic news that the council has invested so heavily in Eastbourne Leisure Centre.

"It has always been well used by heart patients and hopefully, all manner of people will be encouraged to go down to the gym and then use the other excellent facilities that are there for them. The refurbishment is a real boost for healthy living in Darlington."