Young children and their parents have been invited to celebrate the first national Sure Start National Children’s Centre Week.

Family events will be held across the borough’s nine children’s centres - which give antenatal, parenting, childcare and employment support - during the week of September 14 to 18. They are taking place to mark the growth of the children’s centres network across the UK. There are now more than 3,000 centres in England and by 2010 there will be 3,500, one for every community in the country according to the government.

The events in Merton are: a Family Sports Day is on Tuesday, September 15, between 2pm and 3.30pm at Joseph Hood Recreation Ground, Martin Way, Morden (contact 07985 264644); a celebration event for two-year-olds, between 1pm and 3pm on Thursday, September 17 at Newminster Children’s Centre, Newminster Road, Morden (020 8274 5820); and an end-of-week party, from 1pm to 3pm, on Friday, September 18 at Lavender Steers Mead Children’s Centre, Lavender Avenue, Mitcham (020 8646 4429).