DOZENS of children wrapped the NSPCC's £300,000 building in Tidworth with a giant ribbon and then cut it to declare the family centre officially open last week.

The NSPCC Ashdown Centre in Station Road has been built to provide support to several hundred local children and families in Tidworth, which has the highest ratio of young children anywhere in the UK with 26 per cent of the population being under nine.

Staff and families, who previously used portable buildings, will benefit from new parent and baby areas, facilities for children with disabilities, a sensory room, a soft play area, quiet room and landscaped garden.

Services provided by the centre include drop-ins, toddler groups, parenting groups, counselling, after-school sessions and crisis support.

There are also baby massage courses, advice on sleep difficulties in young children, volunteer training and a pre-school group.