HISTORY will repeat itself when a new children's centre is officially opened, 50 years after the building first allowed allowed youngsters through its doors.

Longshaw School, thought to be just the second nursery school to open in Blackburn, has been helping youngsters since 1954.

But tomorrow, the centre will re-open as Longshaw Nursery School and Children's Centre with modern, 21st century facilities.

Bosses hope the new facility, on Crosby Road, will be just as visionary when it opens this week as it was when it first opened.

Coun Florence Oldfield, chair of governors, said: "We have the original log book kept by Miss Gladys Longworth, the head teacher at the time.

"Longshaw was the second nursery school to open in Blackburn and was really quite visionary.

"Miss Longworth believed in letting children learn through play and developing their interests under the guidance of a teacher and those principles still hold true today."

The nursery originally had just eight children, which grew to 40 full-time pupils, along with two teachers, two nursery assistants, a cook and a laundry woman.

The new Longshaw will take 40 pupils per half-day session and has 11 staff but will expand by offering up to 30 new childcare places under a Government scheme.

Families have been invited to attend the ceremony and join in a range of activities including crafts, story-telling, cookery and learning about healthy eating.