A NEW restaurant aimed at older members of the community opened this week.

Food is already being served to residents in the Anchor Trust extra care development and attached day care centre at St Germain's Grange in Marske.

But now supervisor Debbie Hutchinson and her three helpers are opening the 35-seater restaurant to the community.

The helpers are from a rota of service users, all with learning difficulties from the Redcar and Cleveland council-run centres at Upsall Hall and Grangetown.

Borough mayor Coun Vilma Collins opened the restaurant on Tuesday. It will be open five days a week, from 9am to 3.30, serving morning coffee, two-course lunches from 12.15-1.15, and afternoon teas.

The council's lead member for social services and health, Coun Pat Harford, said: "We are delighted to officially open this restaurant.

"It is a natural training progression for our service users, putting them in a real setting, meeting and dealing with the public.

"The restaurant is also a real business and we hope it will establish itself as a proper venture, with opportunities to expand its catering functions in the future."

Anchor Housing's business manager Mr Tom Brown said: "We are excited about advertising this service within our scheme and hope the wider, older community take advantage of the facility.

"We hope this leads to other opportunities which enable the older people of Marske to enjoy activities which add value to their lives.