YOUNGSTERS have brightened up their village community centre with a £10,000 upgrade.

Children in Tanfield Lea, near Stanley, worked with local artist Mick Brown to create murals inside the young people's community room, next to the village junior school.

Pride of place goes to a large painting of local landmark the Causey Arch.

There are also pictures of the logos of each community group that uses the centre, plus trees, hot air balloons, clouds and sky.

Lynn Hemmings, headteacher at Tanfield Lea Junior School, said: "What the community association has done to the building over the past two or three years has made it a much more pleasant environment for everybody using it."

Artwork also adorns the main entrance to the building. About 180 youngsters entered a competition to design a picture for the entrance doors.

The two winners - Rebecca Owens, aged eight and 14-year-old Lauren Gowland - had their work reproduced by Mr Brown.

The murals were funded through grants totalling more than £10,800 from the National Lottery Awards for All and the County Durham Foundation Local Network Fund.

The remainder of the cash was spent on refurbishing the kitchen and buying furniture, a disco system and a stage.

Miranda Donneky, of Tanfield Lea Community Association, which helped organise the project, said: "When the volunteers moved here, we could not even make a cup of tea. The new kitchen has made it much nicer for everyone.

"The artwork has raised everybody's spirits, brightened the room up and also engaged the local community."

The centre, formerly known as the Top School Building, will also be re-named, following suggestions for a title change from children. The new name will be displayed on a pub-style sign outside the building.

Volunteers showed off thecentre to villagers at an open night on Thursday.