COMMUNITY groups in Preston have struck it lucky with funds worth £9.5million to be ploughed into local projects following successful bids by the city council.

Sure Start East -- a community group that work with parents-to-be and those with children aged under four -- will receive the lion's share of the cash to help people in disadvantaged areas.

The money comes from Government, European, lottery and private sector investment with sponsorship secured by the council's regeneration, community and leisure department and its partnership organisations.

It is aimed at regenerating the city to make leisure and community facilities more accessible for people in Preston, especially children, as well as helping to tackle unemployment and cracking crime.

The £5million bid for the Sure Start East group -- set up three years ago -- is in its final stages and looks set to be given the go-ahead.

Children and parents from the group, which covers Deepdale, Brookfield and part of St Matthew's wards, are on target to secure their windfall for the 829 toddlers it hopes to take under its wing.

Marian Hook, 34, of Village Drive, Ribbleton, is a mother of two boys, Cameron, four, and Paris Shaw, who is just nine months.

Marian began attending Sure Start Ribbleton's programmes earlier this year and is now studying five different subjects in a bid to become a counsellor.

She said: "I can go and do a course and they provide child care. Paris has got the same people looking after him all the time, which is really beneficial and I can still breast feed him in between my classes.

"The drop-in centres on Thursday mornings are also really good with free breakfast and plenty of information and people to talk to. We are all going on a trip to see the lights at Blackpool as well."

Sure Start East launched its first parent and toddler morning yesterday (Wednesday) riding on the crest of the wave in its latest round of bids to fund the project.

Already established in the city are Sure Start Ribbleton and Sure Start Fishwick and St Matthew's, with groups for Preston West and Avenham in the pipeline.

Executive member for regeneration community and leisure, Councillor Veronica Afrin, said: "The government agenda for the department is to reduce child poverty and to improve the quality of services for people.

"Sure Start aim to break the cycle of disadvantage for the current generation of children."

Others securing cash awards are The Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Community Safety Partnership and The Guild Hall as well as other smaller initiatives such as the Growing Fitter for the Future project.