Anna Ryder-Richardson of the BBC's 'Changing Rooms' fame (pictured) will be on hand to open the refurbished nursery at the start of autumn term.
Nursery World judges were faced with a near-impossible task when they came to select the winner from around 350 entries. Some entries made sobering reading with their stories of deprivation and disasters ranging from arson to flooding, while others made the judges smile with poems and tales of communities clubbing together. One thing they all had in common was the belief that their nursery children deserve the best.
In the end the judges were won over by nursery teacher Melanie Hind's dream of a 'cheerful, bright and inviting' nursery. She wrote, 'Our nursery is over 25 years old. Much of the furniture, fixtures and fittings haven't been replaced in all those years. Despite fund-raising there isn't the money for major purchases.
'The children who attend our nursery deserve an in-spiring environment. Many of them have special needs, many are from single-parent families. The area we serve is a rundown estate with few facilities or attractions.' Barwic Parade Nursery wins a 5,000 package of resources, kindly donated by Galt (08702 424 477), Abingdon Carpets and Lego, to create four special areas in the setting. A new reading corner will include displays, story cushions and big books. There will be a sand and water area, construction corner with building blocks, trucks and crane, and role-play corner with supermarket, kitchen and workshop equip-ment. The nursery will be fitted with a stain-resistant carpet and finished off with a coat of paint.
Nursery World editor Liz Roberts said, 'The nursery environment is a vital element in providing quality care and education for children. With this selection of resources, Barwic Parade will be able to continue and extend its highly praised work in giving children from a disadvantaged area the best start in life.'
Ms Ryder-Richardson said, 'I am delighted to give my support to Nursery World in this exciting competition. All too often the specific needs of pre-school children are overlooked. To offer a nursery the chance of a total make-over is an opportunity to halt this trend and let's hope that more initiatives like this will follow Nursery World's lead.'