VILLAGERS are celebrating after a grant was awarded to fund a bus service.

Brotton Over-60s Friendly Club has won a Small Scale Local Transport Improvement Grant to provide a three-month pilot bus service to and from the community's East Cleveland Hospital.

The much-needed service, which will start on Monday, will run on the hour on week day mornings.

The grant was awarded by the Tees Valley Rural Transport Partnership, an initiative led by Tees Valley Rural Community Council and also funded by the Countryside Agency and the area's borough councils.

Ted McNicholls, the treasurer of Brotton Over-60s Friendly Club, said: "The GP service has been wanted for a long time. There is a lot of support for the project and I am sure the service will be well used."

Tony Gordon, of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: "The issue of access to East Cleveland Hospital for pensioners and people with a disability has been raised for a while now. The Brotton Over-60s Friendly Club service will act as a pilot, to measure the level of use of such a service, which will support a proposal for a new bus service to East Cleveland Hospital."

To apply for a transport grant, call Samantha Quinn at Tees Valley Rural Community Council, on (01642) 213852.