A COMMUNITY call centre which will provide jobs for more than a dozen unemployed people opened yesterday.

The Coundon Community Call Centre, based at the Coundon and Leeholme Community Partnership, in Tees Walk, will provide employment and training for 13 people, and could be extended to other areas of southwest Durham.

The scheme has been set up to help create opportunities for unemployed people considering self-employment or call centre work.

A base has been created in the Community Partnership building, with the staff working on a job share basis.

The scheme has been created as part of the Working from Home initiative through Neighbourhood Renewal Funding, delivered via the Enterprise Agency for Wear Valley.

The Coundon and Leeholme Community Partnership and Wolsingham-based call centre specialist On Net Communications have also given support.

The call centre was opened by Avril Hamilton, manager of the Coundon and Leeholme Community Partnership, and Maureen Stanton, managing director of On Net Communications, which has provided training and equipment.

Ms Hamilton said: "The partnership has great plans for the future, which include further development of our premises in Coundon to become an Enterprise Centre for the whole community."

Neil Stonehouse, leader of Wear Valley District Council, local councillor for Coundon and chairman of the Community Partnership, said: "This new venture is very exciting.

"It's a significant milestone in the adventure this partnership has been taking for the past seven years. Our aim has always been to better the quality of life of residents in the villages."

Shaun Stuart, managing director of the Enterprise Agency for Wear Valley, said that similar schemes could be set up across other areas of the district.

"This is just the beginning, " he said.

"Now that we have successfully established this approach in Coundon, we are already discussing plans to grow the scheme and create further hubs in Wear Valley."

Spaces remain for personal development and life coaching sessions being run by The Enterprise Agency for Wear Valley. For details, contact Brenda Wilson on 01388-776688.