A SERIES of family fun weekends are being held at the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum.

The programme includes art and crafts, painting competitions, treasure hunts, puzzles and games.

Volunteers Olive Howe and Irene Macleod will also be telling youngsters and their parents about tracing their family history.

A themed weekend in which children took part in Victorian school activities has already been held. This coming weekend visitors will have the opportunity to take a train ride, as well as being able to join in a host of family fun and games.

A storyteller will take up residence on March 15 and 16. Model railways will occupy the platform on the following weekend. The Victorian theme returns for the final weekend in March.

Admission for children is half price on family fun weekends.

At each event there is the chance to lend a hand with a papier mache train model project, which will see a quarter-scale model of one of the museum's exhibits take shape over the next two months.

The family fun weekends will take place between 11am and 4pm this Saturday and Sunday, on March 15 and 16, March 22 and 23 and March 29 and 30.

For more details contact the Railway Museum on (01325) 460532.