Government money is being sought to help young children from disadvantaged families in Abingdon and the village of Sutton Courtenay.

Called mini Sure Start, the scheme is designed to support 170 children up to the age of four in the Caldecott district of south Abingdon and the Bradstocks Way area of Sutton Courtenay.

The bid for £250,000 of funding is being put together by a steering group which includes social services, health and education officials, the Pre-school Learning Alliance and Home Start, a voluntary group that supports parents with young children. Also involved are the family centre at Caldecott School, in Abingdon, and the Vale of White Horse District Council.

The £250,000 is to help provide facilities, staff and hire charges. A further £200,000 for running costs over the two-year period of the scheme is also being sought.

Sure Start includes services such as extra visits by health workers and play sessions in community halls.

Schemes already operating include a £1m project in the Rosehill and Littlemore areas of Oxford.

The Abingdon and Sutton Courtenay scheme gets the name mini Sure Start because it will serve a smaller area and will cost less.

Clare Abolims, the unit manager for the social services child care development team at Abingdon, said: "We're submitting our bid for funding at the end of the month and are hopeful that we can get under way in the spring."