A £130,000 play bus rolled into action yesterday to give children in rural villages some of the facilities they cannot usually enjoy.

The brightly painted blue and green vehicle was unveiled by Sure Start officials in Barnard Castle before making a tour of remote parts of Teesdale.

Mother-of-three Melanie Lee, from Staindrop, was given the honour of cutting a red ribbon on behalf of all the dale parents who have supported the Sure Start project during the past two years.

Mrs Lee said: "The bus is absolutely wonderful. It has many lovely toys and games so children will have endless fun in it for years to come. It will call at some places which have hardly any play facilities."

Councillor Mary Mitchell, chairwoman of the Teesdale Sure Start Partnership, which provides play and learning amenities for children up to four, said: "The bus will be a tremendous boon for many young families. We are thrilled to have it."

It will also be used by district nurses and midwives, as well as agencies which provide courses for adults and help people to find jobs.

Half of the funding for the initiative came from the Government and the rest from the European Union.

Peter Pringle, who will drive the bus on its rounds, and Joanne Burrell, who will co-ordinate its activities, said they were highly impressed by the equipment.

Fred Blackwell, a former chairman of Gainford Parish Council, turned up to protest that the village had been excluded from the Sure Start project, saying: "It should be able to benefit from it like all the other places."

But Coun Mitchell said Gainford was judged to have all the amenities that were missing from other villages which will be visited regularly by the bus.

It will be in Bowes tomorrow morning, at Cockfield on Thursday morning and at Ingleton in the afternoon, followed by Hamsterley on Friday morning.

Next week it will call at Teesdale Sports Centre, Evenwood, Butterknowle, Toft Hill and Staindrop. Later it will visit the Morritt Arms, Barningham, Whorlton and Woodland.

Coun Robin Simpson, chairman of Teesdale District Council, said: "It will be a welcome sight everywhere it goes."