A POLICE officer has employed the help of Newcastle United to help to cultivate footballing talent in Wear Valley.

With the long summer holidays stretching ahead, PC Calvin Skinner, beat officer for Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, and his colleague Sergeant Ivan Wood, decided to keep youngsters occupied by organising football coaching sessions with the Premiership team. They contacted Newcastle United, who agreed to send out coaches from their Football in the Community scheme.

PC Skinner said: "Historically a lot of good footballers come out of the Coundon and Leeholme area, but for many years there hasn't been a lot for them.

"There aren't many facilities in the villages, so we had a meeting to see if anyone from the club's coaching scheme could come and do some training.

"It's a scheme usually run with schools, so this is new to the coaches and us."

There will be four coaching sessions in July and August and a visit to St James' Park, Newcastle United's home ground.

There are 125 places available to girls and boys from Coundon and Leeholme on a first-come, first-served basis.

For application forms contact PC Skinner at Bishop Auckland Police station on (01388) 603566 or the leisure and marketing department at Wear Valley District Council on (01388) 765555.