BLIND and partially-sighted children on Teesside are to be given a sporting chance.

Latest figures show that 30 per cent of the UK's visually-impaired children are not receiving the national curriculum standard of two hours' PE a week.

The national charity, Action for Blind People, is giving the sporting dreams of visually challenged Middlesbrough youngsters a boost, thanks to a £5,000 grant from the National Lottery's Awards for All.

The money is being spent on a club at the Rainbow Centre, in Coulby Newham.

Such clubs are called Actionnaires and offer multi-sports in a safe environment for visually-impaired children aged eight to 16 who might be excluded from sports in their mainstream schools.

Lesley Inganni, sports development officer for the North-East, said, "This is a great contribution to Middlesbrough Actionnaires. We hope kids from all over the region will join the club, whether they're budding Paralympians, or have never tried sport before.

"We are very grateful to our funders, without whose generous support with equipment such as footballs with bells inside, or hiring specialist coaches, the club simply could not run."

James Turner, Big Lottery Fund head of the North-East region, said: "We are delighted that the grant to the Actionnaires sports club will provide vital access to sports for visually impaired children in Middlesbrough.

"The Awards for All scheme is all about supporting projects like this, which bring many benefits to communities right across the North- East."

Middlesbrough Actionnaires opens at Rainbow Leisure Centre, Parkway Centre, Dalby Way, tomorrow. The club will run from 9am to 11am for indoor sports in the sports hall, and from 11am to noon for swimming.