Now, those same people have been left defending the value of a scheme which set out to transform the fortunes of the under-fives - at a cost of some £6 billion to the taxpayer since Labour came to power in 1997.
Mairead Abraham, project manager of the Blossom Sure Start project in Portadown, was one of those invited to London in 2004 and is sad to see a trickle of criticism creeping through the plaudits, following a recent Durham University report which seemed to question the scheme's value-for-money and lack of tangible results.
But, although subsequent media reports zoomed in on Sure Start centres in England and scathingly reported how middle class mothers were taking advantage of seemingly trivial classes such as Indian head massage, henna painting and hair braiding, Mairead is quick to point out the Durham report encompassed a number of Early Years groups and was making broad conclusions regarding them all.
However, the result has inevitably been a degree of unfavourable scrutiny for Sure Start in England, where the scheme has been criticised for its 'loose' targeting of families in real need and not being able to show any real benefits in terms of educational, health and social improvements in the first generation of young children it set out to help.
But, while Sure Start managers across the water squirm a little under the microscope, the six Sure Start projects in Northern Ireland continue to flourish and Mairead says there are already signs the programme is transforming the lives of hundreds of children and parents living in the Portadown area.
Blossom Sure Start approaches its sixth birthday early next year and has recently expanded its boundaries to include three new areas at Tandragee Road, Armagh Road and Mahon, and a number of town centre streets. These have been added to its previous remit of Brownstown/Rectory, Corcrain/Redmanville, Drumcree and Edgarstown.
There are now 800 pre-school children registered on the books - from a catchment area of 900 - and prior to expansion, virtually 100 per cent of eligible families were registered with the scheme, where the key objectives are to improve children's health, enhance their social and emotional development and ability to learn, and to engage families and communities.
Mairead is conscious of any potential criticism that the really deprived areas - housing those families at which the service was primarily aimed - have expanded and may now include more affluent parents - but it is a tricky balancing act and one she believes Blossom Sure Start has negotiated with skill and a fair dollop of common sense.
"We operate differently here - we don't have any of the child centres for a start, which are more broadly accessed in England - and we have made conscious efforts to reach out to those who may not always be the most visible, or the most inclined to seek support, but are, nevertheless, sometimes the most in need of a helping hand," she said. "It is also important to remember that all parents, whatever the price-tag of their home, may suffer stress or be in need of support and assistance."

This 'helping hand' takes various forms and includes home-based services, family support workers and group-based acitivities at the Sure Start office at Park Road, or at 'satellite' community centres in areas where the team works, including Corcrain - one of the most deprived areas identified as the outset of the scheme - and Drumcree.
Staff involved in delivering home-based services include health visitors, speech and language therapists, family support workers and Home-Start volunteers, while group classes may cover anything from baby massage and craft mornings, to a new development programme for two-year-olds which started this week at the Park Road headquarters. Summer schemes, including fun days away, also take place - and for many local children represent their only chance to escape familiar surroundings for an educational adventure somewhere new during the holidays.
With local sensitivities being as they are in Portadown, finding accessible premises was a major headache for Mairead, who says she drove endlessly around the town in search of an appropriate location prior to the Sure Start project becoming operational in 2002. But, while the often over-used word, 'cross-community', is not one Sure Start likes to bang on about, the project, in practical ways, has helped bring the two communities together in its own quiet way.
"Sure Start is a universal service," added Mairead. "It is available to all families who live in the Sure Start area and have at least one child under school age. We provide a co-ordinated range of services, with the aim to add value to services already there, while offering practical support and encouragement when needed. It doesn't matter what background, creed or class - the services are there for everyone with a child under five and living in the wards of Ballyoran, Ballybay, Brownstown, Tavanagh, Annagh and Corcrain."
The Sure Start service also needs to be a flexible and responsive one, changing and reacting to local needs as they arise. This has been brought sharply into focus in recent years, with the team reacting swiftly to the needs of the burgeoning migrant community settling in Portadown.

And, while admitting it has been an ongoing challenge for the project - which works within an annual budget of less than £400,000 - Mairead has been able to employ two bi-lingual support workers to assist the Portuguese and Polish families living within the Sure Start area.
Results from all these valiant efforts are obviously difficult to quantify, as outcomes in terms of health, education and general welfare won't be obvious until further down the line in the young adults they produce, but, so far, anecdotal evidence has been reassuring. "We know we are providing real help to parents with young children and you can really see the difference on a day-to-day basis," added Mairead. "Some parents, who at first arrived through our doors a little unsure and nervous, have grown in confidence, as have their children. Early identification of speech and language problems has also been a huge success and a money-saver in the long term.

There are undoubtedly challenges ahead in terms of proving beneficial outcomes, but we are building evidence of how we know Sure Start is having an impact through discussion with parents and questionaires which have been sent out to local schools.
"When people come up to you and say what a difference Sure Start has been made to their lives, that, for now, is really all the evidence we need. There is no room to be complacent, but to date, I firmly believe Sure Start is providing value for money in this area and we are on the right tracks in helping children - and their parents - reach their full potential."
Anyone who would like more information on the project in this area, can ring the Blossom Sure Start office on 3833 7455.