YOUNG children in Hatherleigh are being well catered for at the town?s new £1.7-million community centre. Hatherleigh Pre-School and the local Sure Start scheme moved into the premises on Monday and have their own dedicated rooms within the building. Early years childcare facilities and services will now all be under one roof instead of scattered all around the town, and people can drop in at any time at the new Sure Start Children?s Centre for help and advice. Before the move, the pre-school, which also provides a mother and toddler session and an activity session for two and three year-olds, met in the town hall which it had to share with the whole community. Secretary Angela Dennis said the new room was ?fantastic.? ?We have a lovely new kitchen, better access and security, our own car park and a much larger play area which will be completed when the weather improves,? she said. Children with disabilities and learning difficulties are also better catered for in the new building. Up to 40 children currently attend the sessions run by the pre-school and with the new facilities the group hopes to offer extended services in the future. Meanwhile, Sure Start, which has put £240,000 into the building, is delighted to be able to offer improved services for parents-to-be and new parents in the area. The scheme covers eleven parishes and 150 children and their parents regularly use Sure Start. The children?s centre will provide anti-natal and post-natal care, parenting courses, a health visitor baby clinic, a creche, speech and language therapy and toy library. Programme manager for Hatherleigh Sure Start Jenny Mackenzie said the building was ?amazing? and created a nice welcoming atmosphere for new parents. ?We focus on children who are 0-3 and at that age any preventative work is key,? she said. ?We work to develop skills which will help the children later on in life.? Hatherleigh pre-school will be holding a Christmas shopping evening on November 13 and a Christmas bingo on December 13, both in the new community centre, to raise funds. More than 100 people attended the first concert in the centre which was staged to put the sound and lighting systems through their paces. There will be a series of open days coming up so the public can view the new facilities. RIGHT: Youngsters and their mothers at the new base for the pre-school. Picture by James Bird