A FARMING couple who opened an off-road driving centre will welcome its 1,000th customer this month.

Deepdale Off Road, which is based at a dairy farm near Barnard Castle, County Durham, was opened three years ago as farmer Graeme Gill and his wife Ann diversified.

It has now become the main source of income at the site.

People travel from around the country to take weekend courses at Smartgill Farm, in Bowes Road.

Mr Gill said their presence was also a boost for local hotels, pubs, restaurants and shops.

To mark the milestone, the centre is offering customers a refund for their course.

Each customer who pays for a course between now and Christmas Eve will be entered into a draw with the winning number receiving money back.

Mr Gill said: "As Christmas vouchers make up approximately 50 per cent of our annual customer base, we thought this would be a good way of celebrating this milestone. It seems that people today are looking for an experience rather than a possession for a present."

The centre offers events to cover a range of driver backgrounds.

Customers include people who have never driven off-road, and professional drivers who need training for health and safety reasons.

To find out more, call (01833) 630802 or 07803 696796.