A WIDE range of courses will soon be available for people in County Durham due to the expansion of the University of Sunderland's popular Centre for Lifelong Learning.

The university has teamed up with New College Durham to provide academic and leisure courses at the campus at Framwellgate Moor.

The programmes will start in the first two weeks of the New Year and range from creative writing, 20th Century poetry and philosophy to contemporary garden design, astronomy and archaeology.

The New College Durham programme forms part of the university's Award in Continuing Education, which offers opportunities for progression on to courses at the university. The launch builds on the success of the popular Centre for Lifelong Learning courses.