BUILDING has started on a £941,000 family centre.

The Government-funded Sure Start building, in Clifford Road, Stanley, aims to give pre-school children and their parents a lift.

It is the latest move in the regeneration of the heart of the former mining town.

Durham County Council and Derwentside District Council are working in partnership to build a new bus station in Mary Street, along with a retail centre.

And Derwentside Primary Care Trust has promised to invest hundreds of thousands in a new medical centre for the town.

The Sure Start Stanley team has been operating from a temporary base in Joicey Gardens, East Stanley, but the site is not ideal for youngsters as it is next to a main road.

Malcolm Pitt, programme manager, said: "The new building will meet parents' identified objective of being within easy walking distance of the bus station and the need to cross busy roads.

The centre will serve 21,500 residents across five wards - Craghead, Havannah, South Moor, South Stanley and Stanley Hall.

It will feature a privately run day care nursery for up to 26 children. There will be rooms dedicated to baby feeding and health, plus an IT training suite, toy library and crche.

There will also be an outdoor children's play area and a community caf. The project is a multi-agency partnership, but is led by Durham County Council.