A new £100,000 scheme has been launched to help disadvantaged children and vulnerable teenage parents in Copeland.

The Pre-birth and Beyond project will target children living in poverty, from troubled families or under protection plans. It aims to ensure they will start school with a "good chance of learning and thriving".

Howgill Family Centre will run the three-year project, supported by Copeland Council, and will offer new-born visits from Howgill staff, intensive support for teenage parents, as well as parenting programmes.

It is funded by United Utilities (£50,000); Copeland Community Fund (£40,000) and Howgill (£10,000).

A launch was held on Friday at Howgill's Pre-School Nursery in Whitehaven.

Mike Starkie, Copeland's Mayor, said: "There has to be real intervention to address the areas of severe deprivation that exist throughout Copeland. I want to see the gap between the haves and have nots narrowed and eventually closed.

"As a father myself I want every child in Copeland to have equal opportunities so their aspirations become realities because children matter."

Brenda Holden, chairwoman of the Howgill Family Centre, said: "This is an investment in activities that have a demonstrable impact on social well-being.

"As a result, more children from Copeland's most disadvantaged areas will be able to compete on an equal footing with other children when they enter the school system."

John Hilton, United Utilities project director for west Cumbria, said: "As a major employer in Whitehaven, we try to lend support to worthwhile community schemes where practical, and this project clearly has potential to deliver lasting benefits to local communities."

David Moore, chairman of Copeland Community Fund, added: "It’s vital we ensure more children enter formal education with a good chance of learning and thriving.”