A SUPPORT group in Darlington for children with Down's syndrome is to expand.

The Education Centre for Children with Down's Syndrome is also about to double its efforts.

The group, which has 17 sets of parents and children on its books, meets very Friday morning in Beaumont School.

County Durham Foundation's Darlington Champions fund has poured extra cash into the project to buy equipment and pay for specialist staff.

The group will also launch a Saturday club and will move into the Darlington Education Village when it opens.

Founder Maggie Hart said: "The plan has just snowballed really. I visited a specialist centre in Portsmouth and developed its model on a smaller scale.

"The group is proving really popular and when we start to meet at our new venue, we can use some of the extra funding from Darlington Champions to expand the service we offer."

She set up the group because she found there was no similar group anywhere in the region.

Gillian Stacey, chief executive of County Durham Foundation said: "As a Darlington Champion, people join a team of business professionals and local people who are already helping to make Darlington one of the most exciting places to live in the North-East."

For more information about the support group contact Mrs Hart on (01325) 369895.