A computer and childcare centre for a city's Chinese community has been opened.

Newcastle's Lord Mayor John Marshall performed the ceremony at the Chinese Centre, in Waterloo Street, as part of celebrations yesterday to mark the start of the Chinese year of the sheep.

The training suite has computers that cater for speakers of Mandarin and Cantonese, and offers training opportunities providing IT, cultural and educational development.

The centre is run by a company formed by local Chinese community associations.

An outreach facility is available through a mobile laptop-based classroom which will operate from locations across the North-East and will complement training available at the centre.

Councillor Marshall, said: "The over-arching objective is to provide a Chinese cultural centre that is open to all, providing a point of contact for the Chinese community.''

The childcare centre offers 16 after-school and holiday places.

The centre has attracted more than £350,000 of public funding from organisations including the Department for Education and Skills and the New Opportunities Fund.