A SPECIAL rural children's centre serving Grasmere and Ambleside has been given the ministerial go-ahead as part of a new Sure Start network across the county.

Education minister Margaret Hodge announced the new pilot Sure Start centre, which will offer integrated early education, childcare, health services and family support for families with children under five years of age, will be among the first of nine in Cumbria.

Tricia Bewick, Cumbria Sure Start's children's services and extended schools policy officer, said a start date and base for the centre is yet to be decided, although she confirmed the focus will be on taking services out to the community, rather than asking parents to travel to them.

"For a rural area serving Grasmere and Ambleside one permanent building wouldn't be appropriate as we would immediately exclude those who do not have their own transport," she said.

"We are looking at the best ways to take services out to those who will benefit from them."

Some of the services available through the children's centre will be provided by a number of partner agencies, such as Barnardo's South Lakeland Family Support Service, which will run a new Helping Hands initiative.

This will offer practical hands on' assistance to benefit individual children in their own homes.

But plans are already on the table for a second wave of centres which could increase the number in the county to 15 by March 2006.

Cumbria County Council's member for education, Coun Joan Stocker, said she hoped Kendal could be one of the next in line to get a new children's centre.

"We were delighted to get the go-ahead for the centres they will make a real difference to how we deliver services to 0 to 5s in the area and will shape the way we work with this group from now on.

"We are now working on the second wave of centres, which will hopefully include Kendal and Milnthorpe."