AN ORGANISATION which provides a myriad of services for adults and children with disabilities has been given a grant of £25,728 from Children in Need.

Darlington Association on Disability has been given the grant to help it work on a project working with disadvantaged children and young people in Darlington.

The new funding will enable projects to provide services to young people in the area and means that BBC Children in Need currently has more than £1million invested across the region.

This is the third funding allocation of the year, with additional funding to be allocated to projects across the UK throughout 2019.

Darlington Association on Disability could not be contated for comment yesterday but will use the grant, over three years, to deliver leisure and social activities for disabled children and young people living in Darlington.

The programme of activities will be based on the young people’s interests and will include movie nights, baking, sports like football and swimming and visits to places like the park and the beach. The activities will help the young people to develop friendships, become more independent and encourage them to make decisions.

David Thomas, Senior Project Co-ordinator at Darlington Association on Disability said: “It’s fantastic news that we have been awarded with funding for the next three years from BBC Children in Need. With this we’ll be able to reduce the isolation of many disabled young people in our area and provide them with opportunities to have fun and socialise with friends.”

Elizabeth Myers, Regional Head of the North at BBC Children in Need said: “We’re delighted to be funding Darlington Association on Disability.

"We look forward to seeing the positive difference and lasting impact that these projects will have on young people living in the community in the coming months and years.”

Across County Durham, BBC Children in Need is currently funding 18 projects to a value of £1 million.