A GROUP of Chester-le-Street children have written to council chiefs asking for somewhere they can enjoy music.

They think there is not enough musical activity for young people in the town.

Nine youngsters aged ten to 14 years got together with Investing in Children co-ordinator Clare Beighton to tackle the problem.

They devised a questionnaire to find out what their peers wanted and have written a report of their findings.

Catherine Rowland, 11, a pupil at Roseberry Comprehensive School, said: "We want an interesting place for under-16s where they can play and listen to music and dance."

Clare Beighton helped the youngsters with the report after meeting them at The Heritage Kids Club. She said: "They are a very mature group for their age because they know what they want.

"They are learning how to articulate that and they are getting better at being able to express their views."

Durham County councillor Brian Ebbatson praised the group for showing initiative. He said: "A lot of people complain about young people not being constructive, but here we have a group who have got together and explored an issue that is important to them and brought it to the attention of the authorities.

"There are a lot of school buildings and community halls that might be able to help."

People in charge of buildings that may be suitable for a disco or music sessions are asked to call Berni Stock at Investors in Children on (0191) 3867485.