A SOCIAL centre built in the early 1900s with penny a week contributions from a town's miners looks set for an exciting new future.

Shildon Town Council hopes to give a 21st century facelift to a derelict Rest House dedicated by long-dead pitmen as a social, community and educational hall.

The project was given planning permission last week, as part of a £1.1/4m, three year scheme to improve and extend Shildon's Hackworth Park.

The council hopes to attract Heritage Lottery, Sport England and Single Regeneration Budget grants to create new sporting, leisure and learning facilities.

At the Rest House itself, a £47,000 46 sq metre extension will provide space for new toilets and access ramps for disabled people, as required by the Disa-bility Discrimination Act.

Designers are still working on interior details from suggestions put forward by people who joined in a consultation exercise.

Two suggestions being considered are for a drop-in centre and Shildon's first cybercafe.

Town clerk Tom Toward said: "We are keeping to the original purpose of the miners who gave a penny a week into a fund to build the centre which was that it should be used for social, community and educational purposes.

"It will be a wonderful facility for the people of Shildon."

Planning authority Sedgefield Borough Council has been sent six letters of objection to the town council's application, which will be considered by the development control committee.

People living near the park claim that the new centre could be noisy, it would cause a traffic hazard and that the building should have been demolished.