ORGANISATIONS
Nursery of the Year
Sponsored by childcare.co.uk
Winner
- Spring Bensham, Spring by Action for Children, Gateshead, with judge Wendy Scott and host Jen Pringle from Channel 5's Milkshake
Highly Commended
- Worcester Early Years Centre, Worcestershire
Finalists
- Lambeth College Nursery, Clapham
- Sunbeams Day Nursery, Leeds
- Young Friends Nursery and Nature School, Hove
Pre-School of the Year
Winner
- Nature to Nurture, Liverpool, with judge Dr Jo Verrill of Ceeda
Highly Commended
Enya’s Childcare, Peterborough
Finalists
- Cullompton Pre School, Cullompton
- Fit ‘N’ Fun Kids, Falmouth
- KidsStop, Northampton
- Puddleduck Preschool, Windsor
Early Years in School Award
Winner
St Paul’s Primary School, Kingston Hill, London, with judge Stella Louis
Finalists
- Gateways School, Leeds
- The Mulberry House School, London
Nursery Group of the Year
Sponsored by Christie & Co
Winner
- Kids Allowed, north-west, with sponsor Christie & Co
Highly Commended
- Stramash Social Enterprise, Scotland
Finalists
- Kids Planet, north-west
- The Little Learners Montessori, south-east
- Sleepy Hollow Group, Northern Ireland
- South Hills School, south-west
- Tiddlywinks Day Nursery, north west
Childminding Business of the Year
Sponsored by childcare.co.uk
Winner
- Debbie Watling, Huntingdon, with judge Rebecca Martland
Finalist
- Julie & Jo’s Childcare, Cambridge
INDIVIDUALS
Nursery Manager of the Year
Winner
- Ginny Andreas, Little Adventurers, Upminster, with judge Dr Sue Allingham
Highly Commended
- Sarah Presswood, George Perkins Day Nursery, Birmingham
Finalists
- Victoria Alter, Alyth Kindergarten, London
- Danielle Riley, Woodlands Day Nursery, Elmscot Group, Timperley
- Michael Takacs, Daisy Chain Bebington, Birkenhead
- Audrey Willoughby, the Rocking Horse Nursery, London
Nursery Operations/Regional Manager of the Year
Winner
- Dawn Gibbons, Sunflower Group, north west, with judge Neil Leitch of Early Years Alliance
Finalists
- Amy Alderson, Tops Day Nurseries, south
- Michelle Gascoigne, Tynemouth Nursery Group, north east
Early Years Teacher of the Year
Winner
- Hannah Lakin, Holmsdale Manor Nursery, Ibstock (collected by her employer in her absence), with judge Helen Moylett
Finalists
- Gemma Parker, Kids Planet Warrington
- Rebecca Sanderson, Tynemouth Nursery, North Shields
- Rachel Shevill, Zone4Kids at Whitley Lodge, Tynemouth Nursery Group, Tyne and Wear
Nursery Practitioner of the Year
Sponsored by Hope Education
Winner
- Tessa Winters, Stramash Tornagrain, Inverness, with sponsor Hope Education
Highly Commended
- Lauren O'Brien, Woodlands Day Nursery, Elmscot Group, Altrincham
Finalists
- Kelly Burchell, Holmsdale Manor Nursery, Ibstock
- Sofina Choudhury, Hale Day Nursery, Elmscot Group, Altrincham
- Jenna Dempsey, YMCA Fairthorne Manor Nursery, Southampton
- Mellie Edgar, Tiddlywinks Day Nursery, Bury
Newcomer of the Year
Winner
- Charlotte Atkins, Cherubs Longdale, Nottingham, with judge James Crosswell of Kids Allowed
Highly Commended
- Connor Keaney, Bright Minds Daycare, Birmingham
Finalist
- Georgina Wright, Kiddi Caru Caldecotte, Milton Keynes
Trainer of the Year
Sponsored by CACHE
Winner
- Gill Mason, Kids Planet Day Nurseries, north west, with Julie Hyde of sponsor CACHE
Highly Commended
- Kate Bickley, Children 1st Day Nurseries, Midlands and South Yorkshire
Finalist
- Samantha Laxton, the Co-operative Childcare, UK-wide
Childminder of the Year
Sponsored by childcare.co.uk
Winner
- Katherine Cooling-Smith, Kayte’s House, Colchester (collected in her absence by her friend), with Jane Comeau of PACEY
Finalist
- Debbie Watling, Huntingdon
Nanny of the Year
Sponsored by BAPN/Nannytax
Winner
- Michelle Cusack, with sponsor BAPN and Nannytax
Highly Commended
- Elisabeth Watts
Finalists
- Lisa Burgin
- Brigitte Day
- Sally Stimson
Outstanding Contribution
Winner
- Elaine Hargrave, Holmsdale Manor Nursery, Ibstock(collected in her absence by her empoloyer), with judge Julie Mountain of PlayLearningLife
Finalist
- Teresa Lascelles, St George’s Childcare, Tunbridge Wells
Lifetime Achievement
- Helen Moylett, trainer author and consultant
INITIATIVES
Working with Parents
Winner
- Fit ‘N’ Fun Kids, Young Mums Will Achieve, Falmouth, with judge Nancy Stewart
Finalists
- BHT Early Education and Training, Talking Together (a Better Start Bradford project)
- Langtry Nursery, London Borough of Camden, Working with fathers and male carers initiatives
Inclusive Practice
Winner
- Randolph Beresford Nursery School & Children’s Centre, London, with sponsor Adam Boddison of nasen
Finalists
- Trafford Council and Trafford Speech and Language Therapy Service, Trafford Giving Voice Accreditation Award, Manchester
- Tuffkid Nursery, London
Team Development
Winner
- Northumberland Country Council with Northumbria University, Northumberland Early Years Professionals Network, with judge Di Chilvers
Finalists
- Honey Pot Day Nurseries, Liverpool
- Sunbeams Day Nursery, Enhanced Quality Training and Video Blogs Program, Leeds
Nursery Food
Winner
- Townhouse Nursery, Village Nursery Group, Stoke-on-Trent, with judge Edwina Revel
Finalist
- Spring Cedars and Beacon, Spring by Action for Children, Exeter
Enabling Environments
Sponsored by YPO
Joint winners
- Sunbeams Day Nursery, loose parts play, Leeds, with sponsor YPO
- Holmsdale Manor Nursery, forest school, Ibstock, with sponsor YPO
Highly Commended
- South Acton Nursery School & Children’s Centre, Freddie the car, London
Finalists
- Brambles Preschool, Salisbury
- Beatle Woods, Holistic Enabling Environment, Coventry
- London Early Years Foundation, Soho Family Centre Nursery, London
- Your Nursery, Preschool fun: a room as the third teacher, Manchester
Online and Social Media
Winner
- Each Peach Childcare and Each Peach Forest School, Hove, with judge Sarah Mackenzie of NFamilyClub
Finalists
- 22 Street Lane Nursery, Leeds
- Bright Minds Daycare, Birmingham
- Cherubs Nurseries, East Midlands
- The Co-operative Childcare, UK-wide
- New Beginnings Day Nursery, London
- Stramash Social Enterprise, Scotland
Community Support
Winner
- GNG Nursery, Birmingham, with judge Anne O'Connor
Finalists
- Fit ‘N’ Fun Kids, Falmouth
- Cherubs Nurseries, East Midlands
Health and Wellbeing
Winner
- George Perkins Day Nursery, Building Healthy Families, Birmingham, with judge Jane Harrison of Red Hen Day Nursery
Finalists
- Early Start Education, Shrewsbury and Susan Lawrence Nurseries, supervised toothbrushing programme, Newham
- Holmsdale Manor Nursery, Ibstock
- Honey Pot Nurseries, staff well-being, Liverpool
- Little Adventurers Nursery, healthy lifestyles, Upminster
- School Improvement Liverpool, Keep Moving, Keep Learning, Keep Healthy
Working with Babies and Toddlers
Winner
- East Sussex County Council, ‘Interacting with Babies (0-18 months)’ collaborative research project, with Nursery World commercial director Tom Curtiss
Finalist
- The Old Forge Day Nursery, Baby Room Project, Derby
Charity draw
Our awards charity partner was Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, with a charity raffle prize of an Outlast Arbour kindly donated by Community Playthings. Winner was Mandy Goff of Cullompton Pre-school
Photos by Julian Dodd
Photos of the event are available at shorturl.at/dEMX6
- See the full write-ups of our winners at https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/awards