9:42am Thursday 25th February 2010
By Jon Livesey
A NEW children’s centre has been created in rural Pendle as part of an ambitious county-wide scheme.
Youngsters from villages across Pendleside and Higherford and Blacko will benefit from the facility at Barrowford Primary School.
It has been created as part of the third phase of Lancashire County Council’s children’s centre programme.
Community leaders, who attended its official unveiling yesterday, welcomed the facility and predicted it will prove popular with local families.
The centre, in an annex of the Rushton Street school, will be managed by staff at the Beacon Children's Centre in Nelson.
It will include a community space, an office and a kitchen.
The school has also designated an extra room called 'The Snug' which can be used for meetings and small activities.
Another room has also been earmarked for use by health professionals and it is hoped that this will be ready in summer 2010.
County Councillor Susie Charles, cabinet member for children and young people, officially opened the centre yesterday.
She said: “This is good news for families in the rural Pendle and Barrowford area and I’m sure the services will be very popular with mums, dads and children. "Children's centres do a great job of bringing together services for young families under one roof and I am proud that Lancashire continues to lead the way with one of the largest and most developed children's centre networks in the country.”
The centre is one of two being opened as part of the programme.
Another is scheduled at Trawden Library, covering rural areas of Colne as far as Foulridge.
Seven more already operate in Nelson, Colne and West Craven.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/trade_directory/