Darlington is set to receive more than £100,000 for out-of-school-hours childcare.

The cash is the borough's share of a £2.3m payout in the final round of grants from the New Opportunities Fund.

The money will help to create two additional childcare clubs as well as expanding other activities and creating out-of-school and holiday childcare.

The money will mean more than 400 additional places for children aged between three and 14 in Darlington.

Darlington Borough Council will be given £88,500, which it will use to create 249 extra childcare places at existing clubs.

The money will also enable Darlington Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership to establish a new club and expand three existing clubs. This will mean at least 177 new childcare places providing before and after-school care and holiday care.

The Academy of Playcare Education and Training received £10,622, which it will use to create 20 weekend places for children aged five to 12. The group will also establish a new club in the town.

Childcare company Tarka Ltd, jointly with County Durham, will establish 28 new clubs and expand one existing club.

Coun Stephen Harker, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for education, said: "The extra money will prove invaluable to the whole community in helping parents and carers of young children to be able to afford good quality childcare, enabling parents and carers to remain in employment or to access new work and to take advantage of training opportunities."

Lin O'Hara, the New Opportunities Fund North-East regional manager said: "This programme was not the first, nor the only source of funding for out-of-school-hours childcare, but its impact on childcare availability in this region has been truly staggering."

Money from the New Opportunities Fund has seen £270m invested in childcare, including £15m for the North-East, funding quality, affordable childcare for more than 30,000 children in the region.