BARNARDO'S is opening a children's centre at Broadmayne after getting a £120,000 cash boost to develop a new service in Dorset.

The charity will establish a network of four as part of a partnership with Dorset County Council to provide children's centres to help families with a range of support and advice measures.

The cash comes as government Sure Start funding for two years to help children up to five years and their families.

The children's centres - at Sherborne, Ferndown and West Moors along with Broadmayne - are part of a wider range of centres being established by the county council.

Tim Carter, assistant director of Barnardo's South West, said: "This is a very significant development which will empower local families to offer their children a better and brighter future and transform their lives.

"The new centres will offer a safe, warm and welcoming environment acting as a one-stop-shop for a wide range of important services."

Karen Stratford, the county council's children's centre development manager, said: "We are delighted to be working with Barnardo's on this project.

"Working together with our partners in the voluntary sector, we can achieve results for young children and their families that could not be achieved by working alone."

Sarah Moore, children's centre manager for Barnardo's in Bournemouth, said children's centres helped children in many ways both by being in a base where families could visit and by going out to see people without transport.

She said: "Children's centres can be based in a community's school. A rural one like Broad-mayne would serve a wider area.

"We would also have part-time support workers who can go out to visit families who otherwise don't use or have access to services, such as the travelling community and those from ethnic minorities.

"Children's centres are a good addition to an area and make a difference for children from birth to five years and their families."