A WEST Devon pre-school group is celebrating a Lottery cash boost, after learning it has scooped more than £3,000 to help support an out-of-school club.
The £3,250 granted to Winkleigh Pre-School means the group can pay for additional staffing, enabling it to run a lunchtime club.
Catherine Knight, joint chair of Winkleigh Pre-School, said: ?It?s great news ? having filled in the form last year and sweated to get it in in time, it?s nice for it to have borne fruit.
?It means we can extend our opening times as much as we can for the building we are in.?
The pre-school, which is registered for 16 children, is housed in a temporary classroom at the community centre in Castle Street.
The group is thriving, running five morning and three afternoon sessions per week.
The grant will mean these sessions can be extended into the lunchtime period, giving greater flexibility to parents.
Mrs Knight said there was ?great demand? for childcare in the Winkleigh area.
She said: ?We will be able to get this lunch club up and running, but we are still working towards funding to build our own nursery unit, run as a separate entity on the school site.?
The grant was awarded by the Playlines Trust, which has attracted millions of pounds to develop out-of-school clubs in the South West.
The latest round of awards totalled £1.4 million and follows hot on the heels of a similar distribution of funds in the spring.
Such is the demand for cash that Playlines has already submitted applications for a further £2.6 million of funding.
Playlines helps parents and community leaders put together plans for setting up clubs and applying to the New Opportunities Fund for grants.
It has a local team of work who help people get organised.
Steve Keable, director of Playlines, said: ?Once again, this is great news for children and parents. We are really excited to be developing new partnerships through this award.
?These kids clubs are regular places where children can go after school or during the holidays,? he said.
?Those who don?t have sports facilities provide a great range of other things to do, from painting to play acting and doing things with friends.?