CREWE-based charity Sure Start celebrated the opening of its first children's centre in the town this week.

The Underwood West Children's Centre offers advice and support to young children and families and heralds the start of the government's vision to create a similar facility in each community.

There are two other units currently planned - one at Monks Coppenhall Primary School and one at Pebble Brook Primary School.

The centre will be offering services and activities to families, from a young parents' support group, to parenting advice and 'messy play'.

There will be regular input from partner services including midwives, health visitors and speech and language therapy.

It will be open 51 weeks of the year and over time will develop full day care provision to allow parents access to high quality day care to allow them to return to work.

At a cost of some £500,000, the centre has taken three years to develop and will serve around 850 families in the St Barnabas and Grosvenor wards.

The centres have been developed from Sure Start local programmes, but have a much wider remit to develop effective local partnerships for families living in the area.

It is a government initiative helping parents and carers by bringing together early education, childcare and family support.

In Crewe, the programme has focused on three wards - Alexandra, Maw Green and the West End - to help all parents and their children under the age of four.

Underwood West centre co-ordinator Wendy Whittaker said: "With the centre up and running many more families will be able to access the high quality services that Sure Start has provided by expanding the area it is working in.

"Parents and carers can drop in at anytime between 9am and 4pm where we will welcome them to the centre, and give them more information about what's going on.

"We already have an active parents group that helps in the running of the Centre, and more are always welcome."

For more details call 01270 509763.