Run by local people, Skerne Park Childcare Centre has become an integral part of the community. Womens' Editor Christen Pears reports.

IN the list of rules pinned on the wall of Skerne Park Childcare Centre, number 15 states that staff aren't allowed to work in the office but must play with the children all the time.

"As you can tell, we let the children make up their own rules," laughs centre manager Emma Clegg. "Unfortunately, we can't play with them all the time but we do try our best."

With brightly-coloured pictures covering the walls, a giant chess board on the floor and a sand pit, complete with plastic palm trees, Skerne Park Childcare Centre looks like any other nursery. But, unlike most, this one is run by members of the local community and they have recently won an award for their work.

The centre opened in January 2001 in a former clinic in the grounds of Skerne Park School in Darlington. The single storey building looks fairly unimpressive from the outside but the impact it has had on the community has been enormous.

Treasurer Marjorie Knowles says: "Finding good quality but affordable childcare is a problem for a lot of parents on the estate and, until the centre opened, there wasn't really anything in the area.

"We were able to buy the building using money from the third round of the Single Regeneration Budget and we've had funding from various other sources since. It's just gone from strength to strength and it's enabled a lot of people with children to get back into work in what is quite an underprivileged area."

The centre is run by Skerne Park Community Enterprise Association, which also operates the Chatterbox Caf and the Tool Library on the estate. It is a non-profit making organisation so any surplus cash is ploughed back into the business.

"A recent survey showed that the best nurseries are often run by social organisations and that is certainly true in our case," says Marjorie. "The centre is run by residents and staff. They know what people on the estate need and what they want and they're in the best position to make sure it happens. They're also incredibly hard working and enthusiastic, which I think makes an enormous difference."

Earlier this year, Emma and her team won the North-East Women in Business Award for best community based business. The judges were particularly impressed by the fact all of them were under 30 and singled out the glowing Ofsted report received by the centre in February.

"We knew we had been nominated for the award but we were really surprised we had won. We hadn't been going that long and we didn't really think we were doing anything exceptional," explains Emma.

"We're thrilled we did win, of course. We're obviously doing the right things and we've told the children it's their award as well. Without them, it just wouldn't work."

The centre started off as an out of school club but proved so successful, it now offers a playgroup and parent and toddler sessions. It caters mainly for Skerne Park residents but does attract children from further afield, particularly during the school holidays when it's open from 8am to 6pm.

According to Emma, "the children are allowed to do what they like, within reason", whether that's playing board games, drawing or using the PlayStation. The outdoor play area - formerly covered in rubble - has been resurfaced with artificial turf and allows the children to enjoy the fresh air. There's also a range of structured activities, including visits to the local park and trips further afield.

"The centre caters for children from birth to age 14 and because we have such a big age range, it's quite difficult to find something that all of the children want to do. So far, though, it seems to have worked well. The older ones actually quite enjoy helping the younger ones out, which is lovely for everyone."

A new addition was the toy library, which opened in March. It gives children access to toys they wouldn't normally have or be able to afford, such as a mini ball pool.

"The people who use it really value it; I think some of them have tried all the toys we have but we would like to see more people borrow the toys. I think some people are scared of breaking the toys or losing them but it really doesn't matter. They're there to be used and we can replace them if anything happens to them," says Emma.

The future looks bright for Skerne Park Childcare Centre and Emma is hoping to build on its initial success by applying for a raft of grants. These will enable her and her staff to expand the services they offer.

"We're hoping to be able to get funding for all sorts of things, including a new multicultural project. We would pick a different country each month for the children to learn about and we would let them eat traditional food from each one. It will be something a bit different for them - fun and educational at the same time."

The children are always involved in decision-making. There is a wish box where they can post suggestions and they're always consulted about changes and innovations.

"This is their centre and we want them to have a real say in what goes on and feel they're a part of it. It obviously works because some of them get very protective of the place and quite often, you find them trying to follow you home at the end of the day," says Emma.

* For more information about Skerne Park Childcare Centre, telephone (01325) 353416