Charnwood Nursery and Pre-school Launches its brand new Lanscaped Garden

Wednesday 16th September saw the opening of a brand new landscaped garden for Charnwood Nursery and Pre-school in Thurmaston, Leicester. Children, parents, staff and supporters were invited along to a friends and family barbeque to celebrate the opening of the completed outside area. It proved to be a great success with over a hundred people turning up to experience the finished project for themselves. The area was officially opened by Paul Harley of ‘Harley’s Corrugated Cases’ based in Thurmaston. Paul is also the local parish councillor and kindly allowed the children to use an area of land to play in whilst construction of the site was taking place. With the help of pupil Kieran Ball, Paul cut the ribbon and the new play area was announced ‘open’.
The children clearly enjoyed playing in their new and inspiring area which was designed to offer many different aspects, from physical play to educational areas, not to mention an outside classroom in the form of a giant wigwam! Nursery manager Gillian Isaac commented:
“We are thrilled with our new outdoor facility which is going to provide our children with unlimited learning and play opportunities. When participating in outdoor play, the children will have chance for exploration, investigation and physical challenge. It is a resource which will enhance children’s resilience, capabilities, confidence and self-assuredness.”
The newly designed outdoor area was entirely funded through the Early Learning and Childcare Capital Programme. Leicestershire has been provided with a unique opportunity to significantly enhance the quality of experiences for children accessing early learning and childcare. This funding is providing childcare providers with the chance to be innovative and make lasting changes to the physical environments of early learning and childcare settings, which will effectively support and extend all children’s development and learning.
The project itself was designed and brought to life by specialists in playgrounds, landscaping and canopies, 3PLC, who have recently completed a number of successful projects within Leicester. Representatives from the company also attended the open evening. Director Mike Mitchell commented:
“It is truly inspiring to see this new area being used and enjoyed by so many children who will clearly benefit in their own development from the work that we have done, it makes it all so worthwhile and we feel privileged to have been involved from start to finish.”
In addition to having a brand new adventure playground to explore, the children also enjoyed entertainment and a magic show which was provided by Jaqueline Johnstone & Verity Graham of Jabberjacks, along with music, food and face painting. A fun time was had by all!
Charnwood Nursery and Pre-school has been a recognised provider of childcare for over 10 years. They are registered for 64 children aged nought to four years and also offer a before and after school facility for children aged four to11 years. They currently have over 100 children on roll. The nursery community is made up of a wide range of children from different ethnic backgrounds, cultures and religions. They are proud to boast an established team of highly qualified and skilled staff.