CHILDREN on two Darlington estates have been given free transport to encourage them to take part in organised events in the school holidays.

The youngsters on the Redhall and Firthmoor estates can now join in activities at the Dolphin Centre thanks to a £25,000 grant from the Children's Fund. The money, awarded to Darlington Borough Council, has been used to provide a free bus service twice-a-day for children to get into the town centre.

A council spokesman said: "One of the problems children in Redhall and Firthmoor face is that they don't have any transport to get to many of the organised holiday activities. This bus service will ensure these youngsters can enjoy the same facilities as other children in Darlington."

The bus will run during the Easter holidays and the six-week summer break.

As well as getting to the events free of charge, children from the two estates will be able to get into any of the holiday events at the leisure centre at a lower rate.

An extra £8,000 has been awarded to the council to ensure its school holiday activities are made available for disabled youngsters in the town.

The money will be used to include members of the Darlington After School and Holiday Play Scheme for Disabled Children in the activities at the Dolphin Centre.

The spokesman said: "It will be good to integrate the disabled children into the mainstream holiday activities."

The bus will run until Thursday and at the weekend, and next week from Tuesday until Friday.