A SECOND scheme to give youngsters the best start in life could bring more than a million pounds to Darlington.

The town has received an invitation to bid for money for a second Sure Start project.

Sure Start is a Government initiative aimed at parents and children under four, which seeks to promote the physical, intellectual and social development of youngsters while strengthening the family group.

Play schemes, mother and toddler groups and toy libraries are projects that could benefit.

The Government invites less-well off areas of the country, such as Darlington, to bid for money which can be used to set up groups for children and parents, or those who have yet to start a family.

The town's first project centered on the North Road area and provided an opportunity for families to work with a variety of groups in the community.

The ultimate aim of the project is to ensure children in the town centre have the social and educational skills needed when they start full-time schooling at the age of four.

Bids for the next round of Sure Start grants will focus on improving the emotional and health development of youngsters, as well as their ability to learn.

Darlington Borough Council will work with parents, family groups and charities to prepare its bid for a specific area of the town which has yet to be decided.

If Darlington's bid for money is successful, the new project could receive up to £750,000 a year, as well as a one-off £750,000 building grant.

The extra money is given to projects to ensure they continue to develop and improve.

Councillor Bill Dixon, the borough council's cabinet member for social services, said: "This new invitation is enormously welcome and will provide Darlington with another opportunity to tackle local problems around social exclusion and disadvantage, by working with parents and carers in support of their children, even before they are born."