Manchester City Council

Families are invited to come along between 1 pm and 3:30 pm on Friday and share their memories of the centre, catch up with old friends and find out more about the future of children's play provision in Didsbury.

The existing Beehive is closing after 35 years of providing play sessions and other services to local children and their families. It will be replaced with a new purpose-built Sure Start Children's Centre on the same site. Building work will begin in May, following demolition of the existing building, with the new centre scheduled for opening in January 2010.

The new centre will continue to provide current services including a sessional playgroup, childminder drop-in, and parent and toddler sessions. New services will be developed, in response to local demand and needs, such as healthcare, adult education, a crèche and parental outreach and support services.

Current services are being temporarily re-located while building work takes place, with the play group operating from Burnage Children's Centre on Broadhill Road and childminder drop-in and parent and toddler sessions running from St James and Emmanuel Centre on Barlow Moor Road.

Councillor Sheila Newman, Executive Member for Children's Services, Manchester City Council said, "The Beehive has been an important part of the local community for decades and has been a wonderful resource for children who are now grown up and have children of their own. The proposals for the new centre mean improved facilities and services for the next generation of families in the area which will benefit the community as a whole."