TWO champions of a Darlington estate told yesterday how their dream had been fulfilled as they laid the foundation stone for a £1.3m community centre.

Councillor Roderick Francis and Bill Cook have worked tirelessly for more than four years to raise money for the new building on the Firthmoor estate.

Yesterday, the project moved a step closer to completion as local people inspected the construction site in Burnside Road and watched the stone-laying ceremony.

Mr Cook, who recently retired from the association because of ill health, told the crowd: "Like Martin Luther King, I had a dream. I had a dream of a new Firthmoor. Today I'm proud to say I'm from the 'Moor'."

Coun Francis, who has lived on the estate for 42 years, said he longed to see the stigma attached to the old community centre, which stands next to the new site, removed.

"I think we have done that," he said.

"When I look back at what has been achieved in such a short time I feel very proud. All this which stands behind me is a result of teamwork and a common desire to make our lives better."

The centre is the latest symbol of regeneration on the estate, following the opening of a £2m primary school and a housing development site.

It has been funded by the Single Regeneration Budget, the National Lottery Community Fund, the New Opportunities Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and Northern Rock Building Society, and is planned as a one-stop shop for the estate's residents. It will house a youth club, restaurant, doctor's surgery and nursery among other services. The centre was designed by Heritage North and is being built by Darlington Borough Council, which bid for the contract.

Darlington MP and former Health Secretary Alan Milburn could not attend yesterday's ceremony, but said in a letter that it was an "historic occasion".

"It's a tribute to the hard work, dedication and determination of everyone involved," he said.