WESTY:

MUMS and dads in Westy will be ecstatic at news that a new childcare facility is set to open after the Easter holidays, and as a bonus the care will be free, allowing parents to take a couple of hours break at no cost.

Thanks to money from the Sure Start programme, in response to the growing need for a supervised crche in the area, the Playmates Community Childcare facility is ready to start recruiting.

Sure Start will subsidise five sessions a week, each lasting for two hours, catering for pre school children aged up to four years old, establishing a non profit business in the community, ploughing any money back into the facility.

Reputation

Initially the crche will be run in five separate venues; Westy Community centre, St Mary's Community centre, St Augustine's Primary, Alderman Bolton Junior School and Brook Avenue Family Centre.

The initial 35 sessions will be used to gauge interest before the possibility of more sessions throughout the town is examined, once the facility's reputation has been built.

Community participation worker, Jenny Green said: "It's all very new and very exciting. I expect that initially people will be slow to take it up but once they realise it offers genuine child care free of charge with no strings attached, giving parents some time for themselves, then I'm sure it will take off."

She added: "Everything will be fully checked and qualifications are required for the posts. Everything is being done properly from day one."