Nursery holds Christmas appeal for those in need

As the present buying reaches its peak, the little ones at Treetops Nursery in Barlborough have been collecting items for those less fortunate than themselves.

Lots of gifts have so far been collected for disadvantaged children and items have also been donated for people who find themselves homeless - and their dogs.

Nursery manager, Jenny Mulhern, said: “We’ve been very busy collecting things over the last few weeks.

“We are taking part in the Hallam FM ‘Mission Christmas 2016’ appeal which collects gifts for children who wouldn’t get much otherwise.

“But we are also doing an appeal of our own for homeless people in the area and their dogs.

“We’ve been getting some clothing, toiletries and other things for the owners but for the dogs we’ve have a great response.

“We’ve had children donating treats, bowls, dog’s coats, blankets and lots of food.”

The private nursery - which is part of a national chain - has 97 children at the moment, ranging in age from babies up to five-year-olds.

Jenny, who joined the company in June, says she thinks it is important that the education they provide focuses on teaching ‘right from wrong’ - as well as traditional learning.

“I am quite new to the area and I just thought it would be really nice for me and the children to get out into the community a bit more,” she says.

“We recently went to the local NHS centre and I think it’s nice to have that link so the children are more aware of what is going on in their communities.

“We want to teach them as much as we can at an early age - we’ve got the police coming in a road safety awareness in January. “But the Christmas appeals are just about educating them about what things can be like for other people as well.”