FERRYHILL will soon have an information technology drop-in centre, thanks to a £75,000 grant.

The cash, from the New Opportunities Fund, will be used to staff the community room in Ferryhill Comprehensive School.

Headteacher Steve Gater said: "What we're doing is opening up a room in the school which we've already used over the past year as a community room.

"It will be a drop-in centre for learning information and communications technology for any of the adults in the community.

"It will be a free service on offer for most of the week, with crche facilities, for anybody to come in and learn - it really is excellent news."

The project is a partnership with New College Durham and the local community, and will eventually offer learning opportunities in Ferryhill and mobile outreach venues.

Vivien Shipley, of New College Durham, said: "This will offer a unique way of addressing the needs of rural areas in Sedgefield.

"The community room, which will be converted into a drop-in IT learning centre, will provide tasters of learning at an entry level along with the provision of mobile facilities via laptops.

"The community will take on the running of the centre and will be determining what learning needs there are."

It is hoped that the centre will be open shortly after Christmas and will be open from 9am to 9pm weekdays and Saturday mornings.