A £5 million campaign to ease pressure on bored and depressed Asian mums by providing childcare has been launched in Bradford.

The national scheme aims to attract more Asian women to take up childcare work - helping under pressure mums and workers.

Childcare workers, including nursery nurses, teachers and development workers attended the event held at Little Monsters Kindergarten in Bradford to highlight the lack of Asian childcare workers.

According to the Department for Education and Employment, less than three per cent of the national childcare workforce is Asian and an additional 83,000 childcare workers are to be recruited in a bid to help Asian working mums and childcare workers alike.

Tazeem Sawaiz, from Bradford Early Years and Childcare Service, is researching childcare needs of the Asian community.

Mrs Sawaiz, herself a mother-of-three, said: "Childcare is a very important issue at the moment. We aim to encourage more Asian childminders, and nursery teachers, and if people want to set up their own nurseries and day care centres we will provide help for them too."

Usma Bashir has been running the city centre kindergarten Little Monsters, in Simes Street, for the past seven years.

Employing eight staff and looking after almost 50 children, Usma said: "I've always loved children and I really enjoy this job. It is very rewarding and we get a lot out of it."

Julie Mattocks-Cawood, a Childcare Recruitment Campaign officer and childcare trainer, is backing the campaign - with Government cash - to recruit thousands of childcare workers. She said: "Childcare and playwork can be a rewarding and fulfilling job. This is a really exciting time to begin a career working with children and I would encourage anyone who feels they have something to offer to find out more."