A MOBILE youth service has been invited to London to meet the Minister for Youth, Ivan Lewis.

Members of Darlington's Blitz Support Group, which offers young people aged 11 to 25 a place to meet and socialise, as well as offering advice on a variety of issues, will head South next week.

Topics on the Blitz Bus include sexual health, drugs, debt, careers, computing and welfare, and the service is free of charge.

Since the project began three years ago, a second Blitz Bus has been introduced, making the services available on a larger scale.

The group, led by Darlington Borough Council's community education scheme, strongly assisted by young people themselves, will have a tour of the House of Commons, before meeting the minister.

And it is hoped the team will be able to take the bus down to London with them, if parking issues can be sorted out.

The original bus was provided by Durham Constabulary, and youth workers were able to get funding from the Millennium Awards scheme, and now the buses operate five nights a week, between 7pm and 9pm.