MOTHERS and their children worked together for weeks to produce artwork in special lessons unique to Darlington.

Turnaround is a service for children at risk of not doing well in school and every Wednesday the youngsters are joined by their parents who work alongside them.

For the last five weeks the youngsters and their parents used stories as the inspiration to create artworks based on book characters and themes.

Team leader Pam Sayer said the exercise helped boost the self-esteem of all involved and said Darlington is the only place in the country to benefit from the Turnaround service.

She added: “It gives the parents and children special time together every Wednesday afternoon and is really beneficial for them.”

Turnaround is funded by the 15 primary schools in Darlington that are registered with the scheme.

It caters for nine children aged between six and 11 and meets at Branksome Community Centre.