CHILDREN in an east Durham town are in for a treat thanks to a Government funded project aimed at long-term crime reduction.

The Easington On Track Partnership has organised a series of fun days in Peterlee to give youngsters the chance to try a range of activities.

On Track is funded by the Government's Children's Fund which aims to create safer communities by working with children aged from four to 12.

The scheme will involve parents and agencies in an attempt to combat disaffection, anti-social behaviour and the risk of crime.

The special days are to be held in the town's Acre Rigg, Dene House and Eden Hall and will get under way at Dene House Primary School on September 26.

The activities will include basketball, mask making, T-shirt printing and hair braiding along with productions from On Track's drama, arts and cookery clubs.

The drama group will be focusing on bullying and after its presentation there will be an opportunity for the children to talk about the issues raised during the session.

Running in tandem with the fun days, east Durham's Education Action Zone (EAZ) will be delivering promotion for family learning.

County Durham Youth Offending Service is the lead partner in the On Track partnership and along with representatives from the EAZ, the SureStart Group and Durham County Social Services will be on hand to talk about community provisions and the support available to parents.

Nikki Roberts, of On Track, said: "By working in partnership with children, their parents and other agencies with a focus of early intervention, we want to ensure that children experience a learning environment which is fun and accessible."

One of the joint goals is to promote basic levels of literacy, numeracy and social skills.