CHILDREN across the region are being offered the chance to light up a town for Christmas.

The Northern Echo has joined forces with Orange to give youngsters the chance to design Darlington's Christmas lights.

The winning designs will be made up into a string of lights and included in the festive display in the town this Christmas.

There are three age groups for the competition, under- eight, eight to 12 and 13 to 16.

Designs should be use the theme "the spirit of Christmas" and should be drawn on a piece of A4 paper.

Because the designs will eventually be turned into a real light display they can only be made up of red, green, blue, white, purple, orange, yellow and pink lights.

The finished string of lights will be three metres by one metre and will be hung close to the Market Square in Darlington town centre.

The winners in each age category will be invited to the Darlington town lights switch-on, to see their design become reality.

One overall winner will also win an evening of family entertainment, including dinner and tickets to the panto, starring The Chuckle Brothers.

They will also be entered in a national competition to win a trip to see Santa in Lapland, in early December.

You don't have to live in Darlington to enter the competition but you must attend a school in the region.

Entries, along with the entry form from the paper, must be sent to Christmas Lights Competition, The Northern Echo, PO Box 14, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF by Monday, October 8. Judges from Darlington Town Centre management, Orange and The Northern Echo will choose the winners.