Four decades of childcare

A founder of a preschool is looking forward to helping it celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Mrs Janet Webb, 73, of Far Back Lane, helped to launch Farnsfield Preschool in 1970.

She still helps with adminstration for the facility.

The preschool was founded by parents because there wasn’t a preschool or playgroup for their children in the village.

Around 20 children attended sessions two mornings a week in Farnsfield Village Centre.

Mrs Webb said: “We started with hand-me-down toys, a couple of easels, which parents made, and various other things but we just had to make do.

Unpaid

“The fathers had a meeting and they discussed the items they were going to make, like a dolls house, see saw and a Wendy house.

“We also made our own musical instruments.”

The preschool was run by unpaid volunteers and parents helped when they could.

Numbers increased and they began holding sessions five days a week from 1971.

In 1972, they moved to bigger premises in rooms behind the Methodist chapel, where they remain.

The first grant it received was for £24. It was recently given £10,000 for new furniture and redecorating.

Mrs Webb said she did not expect the preschool to still be running today.

She said: “I don’t think anyone had ever imagined we would still be here.

“We thought that nursery school education at schools would be started fairly soon and we would become redundant.

“We still have lots of fun and I don’t suppose the children have changed at all.

“I just love coming back here to work — I have got the best job because I come in to do paperwork but the children talk to me.”

The current manager, Mrs Trish Smith, has been working at the preschool for 25 years.

She said one of the biggest changes she had seen was the increase in health and safety procedures.

She said activities were also more focused on what individual children wanted to do.

A party to mark the anniversary will be held at Farnsfield Cricket Club on June 6.

It will include a barbecue and activities for children.