CHILDREN have been wielding paint brushes to decorate their own caf in Ferryhill.

The youth facility, to be called the e.caf, has come about as a direct result of a town appraisal by the Ferryhill Community Partnership.

More than 200 children returned appraisal questionnaires and the overwhelming request was for a youth caf in the town, which they did not have to share with other users.

Ferryhill Town Council supported the idea, gained funding from the Single Regeneration Budget, the Princes Trust and Sedgefield Borough Council, and obtained UK Online status.

Partnership secretary Jamie Corrigan said: "We were able to buy a former electrical store and then redevelop it. It needed completely gutting and we had to start from scratch. That's close to being completed."

A steering committee of youngsters decided what they would like to see in the cafe.

There will be a youth caf serving tea, coffee and soft drinks, a lounge area with a pool table and table-tennis, a seating area and sound system and a computer suite with Internet access.

During the day, the caf will be used by the Impact group, which provides education for children facing exclusion from school.

Now members of the steering committee are putting the finishing touches to the building.

It is hoped that the caf, which has cost £150,000 to develop, will be open later this month.