THE Pioneering Care Centre, at Cobbler's Hall, off Burn Lane in Newton Aycliffe, will be offering a series of new courses in the New Year.

From January 2003, courses in family history, holistic therapies, deaf awareness, map reading, beginners' Spanish and painting and drawing will be available.

There will also be several accredited computer courses in the centre's fully accessible training room. Learndirect courses from beginner to advanced are available throughout the year.

Gill Macnab, events and participation worker for the Pioneering Care Partnership, said: "The start of a New Year is a great time to begin learning, while having fun and meeting other local people with similar interests.

"At the Pioneering Care Partnership we support life long learning and our facilities are accessible by all."

Places are limited for each course so early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment.

For more details, call Gill Macnab for non-IT courses or Amanda Iceton for IT courses on (01325) 321234 or minicom (01325) 313133.