Gordon BrownA SWINDON nursery is preparing for the arrival of a VIP tomorrow.

Gordon Brown will be dropping into Swindon Sure Start as part of a whistle-stop nationwide tour before jetting off to countries affected by the Asian tsunami.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is planning a visit to the nursery in Penhill as part of a busy itinerary that will also include Man-chester, Edinburgh and Yorkshire.

He will meet a group of parents to talk about the Government's ten-year childcare strategy, as well as taking a tour of the new facility which opened in 2004.

Mr Brown is then scheduled to visit Tanz-ania, Mozam-bique and South Africa for six days next Tuesday, January 11.

Sure Start manager Liz Evans will show him around the new Penhill unit, which provides nursery places for 34 children, as well as custom built facilities such as a sleeping room for babies, a kitchen, playrooms and an office.

Sure Start was set up in Swindon two years ago for residents in Penhill and Pinehurst, as part of a Government initiative to support young families. Parents were involved in the planning of the facilities, which include meeting rooms, play areas and a community caf.

The scheme offers parents and children a range of services, including advice on health and social care.

There are also special sessions for dads and a regular timetable of classes and events.

The facilities used to be located in the Pinehurst People's Centre but are now housed in the newly refurbished former community centre in Everleigh Road, Penhill.

A spokeswoman for Swindon Primary Care Trust said: "Sure Start is a very important part of our work in Swindon with children and families. This visit endorses what is an excellent facility."

The chancellor has a one-year-old son John. His first child Jennifer died 10 days after being born in 2002.

Mr Brown last visited Swindon in May 2001, when he addressed industrial and political leaders of the region at Nationwide headquarters.

During his visit, he backed the town's bid to become a city. His visit will not be the first hosted by Sure Start.

The Everleigh Road complex was opened in May by Jacqui Smith, the Minister of State for Industry and the Regions and Deputy Minister for Women and Equality.

Gareth Bethell