PLANS for a new centre aimed at providing a community with quality child care took a step closer to fruition.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held at the site of the Bullion Lane SureStart Children's Centre to celebrate the beginning of building work.

The site is behind Bullion Lane Primary School.

The venture was launched by Bullion Lane headteacher Alan Verheyden with the help of two-year-old Jamie Underwood.

The Children's Centre has been made possible with funding from the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative, with some of the land gifted by Chester-le-Street District Council.

Buttercups Nursery will be providing the day care.

Programme manager Chris McKay said: "It is going to be a fantastic base from which to deliver SureStart services in the wider sense - giving the children the very best start in life and bringing benefits to the whole community.

"Health, social care, service information and training opportunities as well as social activities, will be available to pre schoolchildren and their families.

"This centre will be a hub of multi-agency service provisions in the town."

SureStart Chester-le-Street partnership chairman Jenny O'Neill said the development represented a major advancement of the County Durham SureStart Children's Centre agenda, resulting from partnership work between parents, local organisations and the Neighbourhood Nursery Initiative.

A district council spokesman said the council had contributed 1,265sq m of land worth £35,000, with SureStart paying all other costs associated with its disposal.

Council leader Councillor Linda Ebbatson said: "The council is delighted that SureStart in Chester-le-Street has made good use of this land by establishing the Children's Centre. It is very rare for the council to dispose of land this way, but it is an investment."