WHEELCHAIR users celebrated yesterday after a £150,000 lift, which gives them access to Darlington Library for the first time, was officially opened.

Disabled people and mothers with pushchairs have campaigned for years to have better access to the town's main library in Crown Street, which has steep steps leading to its main entrance.

As well as the new entrance and lift, the scheme features colour-coded carpeting for the visually impaired, lower counters, hearing loops and disabled lavatories.

Automatic doors and wider aisles also feature in the scheme, which has been designed sympathetically to take into account the historic importance of the building.

Josie Collins, who is one of the disabled people who has welcomed the work, said last night: "I have not been able to use the library since I moved to Darlington in 1995. I have effectively been barred from it, but the lift means I can go back in there again. It has made such a difference."

Councillor Eleanor Lister, Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for education, was presented with a £1,000 cheque from the Valerie Portass Memorial Fund, at the ceremony.

The money will be used to start a project to update the local studies' photographic record of Darlington.

Valerie Portass was secretary of the Darlington Workers Education Association until her death in January, and was a keen user of the library's local studies section.

The library has seen a 60 per cent increase in young members in the past two months after several initiatives for children and ethnic minorities.