THE first project to be funded from £2 million of 'Sure Start' Government money in West Somerset gotts underway at Alcombe Methodist Church Rooms yesterday (Thursday).

'Fun and Families' is a free eight-week course addressing issues relating to family life and, in particular, to children's behaviour. It will run from 1pm to– 3pm on Thursday afternoons from until March 7.

Sure Start is a Government initiative offering funding to improve services for children and their families, to reduce social exclusion, raise educational standards, reduce health inequalities and improve life chances for young children in areas of disadvantage.

Department for Education and Skills Secretary of State Estelle Morris wrote to West Somerset's MP Ian Liddell-Grainger letting him know of the decision to include West Somerset as one of only six rural area to receive Government approval.

"The local community formed a partnership, which has been working extremely hard consulting local people and putting together a detailed plan of the services they need to to ensure the children there have the chance of a good start in life.

"The partnership can start to roll out its services to 704 children under four and their families living in the area," wrote Mrs Morris.

The money is to be spent over the next three years with four new buildings by 2003 and funding for a number of new outdoor play areas.

Mr Liddell-Grainger, who pressed for the approval, said: "I am delighted that West Somerset has received Sure Start approval and to such an extent. It shows that the Government has been listening.

"Of course, it's fine as far as it goes. Other parts of the constituency have problems and this Sure Start approval doesn't mean that I will stop pressing for project funding for them."

Local organisations CLOWNS, Building Bridges, Maifly and AFLAME and the local branches of Barnardos and The Children's Society are receiving massive Sure Start grants.

Also, new speech and language therapists, health visitors, midwives, early years teachers, child care workers, educational psychologists and others will be employed to work with children and their families in the area.

Four new Sure Start buildings will be built by 2003 and will offer, for example, child care facilities, parenting classes, baby massage and health advice, while a new CLOWNS vehicle will take information and services to families in remote areas in West Somerset.

The buildings will be in Watchet, Williton, Alcombe and Dulverton, and out-reach services will be offered to families in the rural areas in between.

West Somerset District Council is adding an extra £750,000 to the new buildings to allow facilities for older children, the wider community and areas outside the Sure Start patch.

Fun and Families is run by Alcombe Family Support Group and is available to any parent or carer with a child under four living in Alcombe .

Its organiser, local AFLAME project manager Jan Hoare, said: "The varied courses offered by the family support group encourage parents/carers to share their experience, learn new skills and develop old ones.

"They make new friendship networks and their children receive free, safe, stimulating play and care from qualified and experienced staff in a child-friendly and safe environment."

Sure Start West Somerset is one of only six rural area to receive Government approval, and the challenges of isolation, lack of access to services, poor employment and limited economic prospects faced by rural communities are being tackled in the plan.

West Somerset Sure Start Partnership chairman Adrian Wells said: "The final plan has been the result of months of hard work by many people in the area.

"Parents in West Somerset told the Sure Start Partnership what services they wanted. Local providers of services and parents worked hard to put a plan together, and the Government approved the plan ready for action in January."