AN education centre which is part of a £4m scheme to restore a park to its former Victorian glory will open this weekend.

The building, which includes a large classroom, store rooms and toilets, will be used by schools and community groups, who want to find out more about Darlington's South Park.

The centre will be opened on Saturday, during the Friends of South Park fun day.

Arts and crafts activities for children will be held in the centre. There will be information about the friends' group and photographs of the Lottery-funded restoration.

The day has been organised to celebrate the work of the friends and their involvement in the project.

There will be a bouncy castle, face painting and balloon modelling for children and family nature trails.

Guided restoration walks will take place throughout the day to highlight the work so far.

Bird seed will also be given to visitors to encourage them not to feed bread to the ducks, as it is healthier for the birds and causes less pollution of the lake.

All the activities are free and will run from 11am to 3pm, at the education centre, which is next to the caf.