A NEW £400,000 children's centre has been opened in Worcester, providing a range of activities and services to city families.

Worcestershire County Council chairman Coun John Smith opened the Bluebell Children's Centre yesterday.

The centre, in St Alban's Close and linked to Perrywood Primary School, will provide free activities and services to support local families with pre-school children.

These include early education combined with childcare, family health services, family support and outreach and links with Jobcentre Plus, Family Information Service and training providers.

Bluebell is the third such centre open in Worcester, with the others in Fairfield and Tudor Way. A fourth is planned to open shortly at Stanley Road Primary School. The centre was designed by county council architects and is in the old IT and art rooms.

It contains two rooms, a crèche, small meeting room, kitchen and office.

The cost of the project was about £400,000, which included furniture and the replacement of the school's IT facilities.