MORE than 200 children aged from four to 16 took part in a dance festival at Teesdale Comprehensive School, Barnard Castle, yesterday, as part of the Teesdale Schools Sports Co-ordinator Programme.

The festival featured children from Teesdale Comprehensive School, and Forest-in-Teesdale, Cotherstone, Montalbo, Barnard Castle CE, Bowes, Startforth and St Mary's RC primary schools.

Helen Goodrum, partnership development manager, for the programme, said: "We have been going into schools promoting sports and helping the teachers get experience of teaching sports. The children have had a really good time."

About 500 children from 15 primary schools and two secondary schools took part in the programme, which also involved a similar dance festival held at Staindrop Comprehensive School last Wednesday.