A ONE stop shop for children and families in Nelson was selected today as the first in the Lancashire to become a Government-designated children's centre.

Walton Lane Early Excellence Centre is one of just 29 in the country to get early designation as a children's centre, for providing a wide range of services to families.

Hundreds of these centres are expected to be created around the UK by 2006, but Walton Lane impressed Government officials so much it was selected to form part of the first wave. Children's centres must provide childcare, education, family support, health facilities and training to support families in disadvantaged areas.

Walton Lane provides nursery and daycare facilities as well as a variety of after-hours, evening and weekend activities for children. It has partnerships with all the Sure Start programmes in the Pendle area and provides training for parents as well as education for children.

Work is about to begin on a £1.2million rebuild to provide a purpose-build centre so all the services can be accessed under one roof. Chairman of the voluntary management committee Diane Heap said: "We think standards like this are very important and we keep aiming higher. It's always a case of onwards and upwards. This is just the beginning."

Children, young people and families minister Margaret Hodge said: "The children's centres that we are announcing will help families access what they need, where and when they need it.

"Easy access to health services will mean children do not have to be taken out of school to travel across town for services like speech therapy. Flexible childcare at children's centres is easy for parents to access and helps working parents.

"The extended schools and children's centres that I have announced today are early examples of the future of joined up services that we want to see spread across the country."