A BLACKPOOL toddler kicked off a building scheme this week which could make a huge difference to the future of the Fylde.

Three-year-old Paul Simms donned a hard-hat and grabbed a shovel as tall as himself before cutting the first chunk of soil of the £2 million Sure Start development.

Blackpool has been given the opportunity to bid for a huge Government cash boost after being selected as a "trailblazer" in the initial stages of the Sure Start programme, which aims to provide a better start in life for disadvantaged children under four.

Paul got the full VIP treatment when he helped social services executive Coun Sue Wright cut the first sod next to Marton and Mereside Community Centre at Bowness Avenue.

The land will be used for a showcase new home for the Sure Start project and will serve as a centre to help children from poorer backgrounds receive adequate pre-school care. Coun Wright said that the initiative would make a huge difference to the lives of families and children who live in the Clifton and Mereside parts of the town.

Excited youngster Paul was chosen because the project is aimed at helping children in his age group, and not least because father, Paul, is a member of the Blackpool Sure Start Partnership who are helping to run the scheme.

The partnership consists of representatives from social services, the health services, education, the voluntary sector and the community.

It is thought social services will spearhead the campaign for the near future but a community-based organisation will gradually take over the day-to-day running.

Coun Wright praised the choice of Mereside for the pilot scheme. She said: "Mereside has the necessary features that make it possible to demonstrate whether the project is effective. This is important because a role of the trailblazers is to demonstrate how quickly Sure Start can make a difference and to take the lead in developing future programmes."

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