A RANGE of projects aimed at improving the quality of life of people living in a former rundown council estate is proving a success, according to a survey.

The survey of Durham City's Sherburn Road Estate was commissioned when a community health project, funded by the regeneration initiative, came to an end.

The study found that a breakfast club at the Laurel Avenue School was still operating and healthy, unlike many breakfast clubs across the country, which folded once the initial funding had run out.

The survey also pointed to the success of an anti-bullying programme in schools.

Residents' comments in the survey showed some people felt there was more going on, more community spirit and a better environment thanks to the crime rate plummeting.

Sherburn Road Regeneration Initiative director Ernest Dobson said: "The results of the survey are very encouraging, but we still have a lot of work to do.

"What everyone has observed, however, is that there is a feeling of optimism around, and that things are improving all the time."