YOUNG people gathered recently to have their say on how to spend £50,000 on a new community bus.

A consultation day took place in Belle Vue leisure centre, Consett. There were also free workshops in DJ-ing by Dean and Ashley Johnson of Deerness, lessons in graffiti art, plus makeovers and a buffet.

Cash for the bus has come from the Derwentside Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership. The consultation event was funded through Derwentside District Council's SPICE project and Young People's Forum.

Forum worker Eleanor Seed said: "The aim of the day was to find out what young people would like for a bus in Derwentside. The kids enjoyed it and have made several suggestions about what they want the bus to look like and what it should have inside."

Phillip Marshall, 11, of The Grove, near Consett, is one of the elected members of the forum.

"I think a bus would be a great thing for Derwentside," he said. "Today has helped us have more of a say in what we want to do."

Youth buses from Durham and Chester-le-Street visited to give youngsters an idea of what theirs could look like. On Deric, the Durham area bus, youngsters enjoyed video games, music and watched videos and DVDs.

Deric has been visiting Sherburn, West Rainton and Ushaw Moor once a week since February and youth workers on board feel it is already making an impact.

Deric driver Sean McCormack said: "You can see a difference in the kids. They get somewhere to go and something to do. Even if they only come here to hang around, it is more channelled than standing on a street corner.

"Youth clubs don't always work. Kids need someone actually there, doing stuff with them, or they can lose interest very quickly."

A bus for Derwentside should be up and running next spring.