MORE than 850 places will be created for children at out-of-school clubs in Suffolk with £300,000 of lottery cash.The New Opportunities Fund, the UK's biggest lottery distributor, has injected £2,191,300 into the East of England to provide more than 5,400 places at before and after school, homework and holiday clubs across the region.

MORE than 850 places will be created for children at out-of-school clubs in Suffolk with £300,000 of lottery cash.

The New Opportunities Fund, the UK's biggest lottery distributor, has injected £2,191,300 into the East of England to provide more than 5,400 places at before and after school, homework and holiday clubs across the region.

One of the major beneficiaries is Suffolk ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), which is set to receive £300,000 from three bids that will create 16 new clubs and expand five others, opening up 868 new places. The clubs cater for children from three-years-old to 16.

James Horsford, childcare manager for Suffolk ACRE, said the new clubs, which will be spread across the county, would be opening in six to 12 months. He added new provisions for children were already starting up on a regular basis.

The grants, announced today, bring the total awarded to the region under the fund to more than £11million. The awards have supported 189 projects creating more than 27,800 childcare places.

Stephen Dunmore, chief executive of the New Opportunities Fund, said: "This grant programme indicates the vital role of out-of-school childcare provision for children and their families in the UK.

"Our childcare programme helps parents to take up training and job opportunities, a particularly important consideration in deprived communities where we concentrate on our work."