A NEW centre to help some of the most disadvantaged children in Pendle get the best possible start in life opens its doors for the first time today.

First Class Child Care Whitefield will offer free nursery education to pre-school children in Nelson five days a week.

The neighbourhood nursery run in partnership with Sure Start Bradley and Whitefield - a government funded agency to give under-fives the best start in life - has received £750,000 of funding and will provide day care for 28 children.

Nicola Sledden, manager of the nursery based at the Civic Hall, in Stanley Street, said the nursery will later move to a purpose built centre in Morris Street later this year.

She said: "We have a statement where we say children come first.

"We are hoping to provide safe, secure child care in a secluded environment to give the children the best start in life in readiness for them going to school."

On Saturday the nursery held an open day to let people look around and view the facilities. Nicola said she was pleased with the response of residents in the area and hope to extend the number of places available when based in Morris Street.

She said: "We have had a lot of interest and a good response from people.

"When we move to the new centre we will have an Ofsted inspection and hopefully they will allow the nursery to take on more children."

The move follows proposals put forward earlier this year to open a similar project costing £1 million on the site of the Walton Street Car Park in Colne.

Mohammed Iqbal, Mayor of Pendle and chairman of the Nelson committee, today welcomed the opening of the nursery.

He said: "I clearly welcome the provision of more nursery places within Nelson and I urge people to make use of the facilities.

"With a growing population there is never enough nursery places.

"Bradley and Whitefield are quite disadvantaged areas and this is another advancement of the good work Sure Start are doing in the area."