A recording studio that has helped thousands of schoolchildren and aspiring musicians has closed its doors.

The Northern Recording co-operative, based in an old miners' hall at Delves Lane, Consett, has called it a day because it cannot get funding for badly needed new premises and equipment.

The outfit, which organises the popular Stanley Blues Festival and used to run the now-defunct Allensford Festival, has helped dozens of aspiring bands over the years, including Chester-le-Street rock guitar prodigy Pete Shoulder, who is due to release his first album this year.

Its expertise has also been called on by well-known regional artists who have recorded there, including acclaimed folk singer Bob Fox and AC/DC's Geordie frontman Brian Johnson.

The studio's pioneering Making Music Work programme introduced thousands of school pupils to music-making and recording and won national acclaim.

But despite its success spokesman Paul Green said: "We have been operating on a shoestring budget from a building that is no longer adequate for our purposes.

"It is no longer viable to run the studios from these premises without lowering our standards and we are not prepared to do that. We have twice applied for Lottery funding through the Arts Council for new studios but have been turned down on each occasion.

"Having exhausted all other possibilities, we have come to the conclusion that we have no other option but to close.

"This was a very difficult decision to make as there is as much demand for affordable, accessible facilities as there was when we first started.

"But with showpiece projects like the Sage in Gateshead absorbing much of the money coming into the region, smaller creative projects like Northern Recording seem to be easily overlooked."

Northern Recording was set up in 1988 out of the Consett Music Project, which was launched by a group of local jobless people after the steelworks closure to promote grassroots music in an area devastated by unemployment and with few facilities for musicians.

The co-operative members plan to continue organising the Stanley Blues Festival, founded in 1993, and are negotiating funding for this year's event on August 6.

Co-operative founder member Mary Kearney, whose late husband John was 'father' of the festival, said the studio's closure was the end of an era.

She added: "We have had a fantastic time and have worked with a lot of great musicians who have helped to make it happen. We would like to thank all the people who have supported us over the years and hope that we have made a positive difference to many of them, even in a small way.