Meet the school dinner ladies in Keighley who have started a club to keep children off the streets of their estate.

They will be serving up games, arts and crafts at the Red Kite Club every Wednesday.

All six women work at Merlin Top Primary School, which opened on Braithwaite Avenue last April.

They also live on the estate and have children themselves.

Four are dinner supervisors, one is a parental involvement worker and one is a teaching assistant.

The club will be the first project under the banner of the newly-formed Friends of Merlin Top.

Sessions will be held on Wednesdays from 6pm to 7.30pm, at the Kingfisher Community Centre, in the same complex as Merlin Top.

The club will be open to children aged five to 12 who live in Braithwaite or Guard House, whether or not they attend Merlin Top.

Parental involvement worker Amanda Dodds said: “It’s an active club — both indoor and outdoor, football and other sports.

“We all have children within the age range. There are clubs on Mondays and Fridays but midweek there is nothing.”

The women have received funding from three grant pots, including Keighley Area Committee’s Community Chest.

The club is expected to open by the end of this month.

Anyone who wants to join the Friends of Merlin Top should contact Amanda at the school on 01535 210028.