NATIONAL insurance company Pearl has given a Leyland after-school club a £10,000 gift.

The cash, donated by Pearl, will enable St Anne's After School Club to employ playworkers to care for local children.

The club, based at St Anne's school, is one of several supported by the firm, which pledges to spend £2 million nationwide to give 1,400 children a safe place to go after school.

Recent research by Pearl reveals that parents in the North West are crying out for this type of childcare.

According to the survey, 44 per cent of parents in the area worry about their children being abducted or attacked.

And 19 per cent are concerned about bullying out of school.

Other anxieties they have include their offspring's use of drugs, alcohol, smoking, getting into trouble with the police and falling behind with school work.

Pearl's Preston district manager Richard Fletcher said: "Our home service approach gives us a very good insight into issues that are important to people in Leyland.

"I know from my own home visits in the area that balancing work and childcare is a big challenge here - and that is why we have decided to support St Anne's After School Club."

Anne Longfield, director of Kids' Clubs Network, said: "Pearl's support for St Anne's After School Club is just what we need to help more kids relax, enjoy themselves, be with friends and use their time constructively.

"This, in turn, helps parents feel more able to work."

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