From Captain Tom to the other end of the spectrum - Newark nursery children do their bit for our beloved NHS

Children and staff from two Newark nurseries have completed a sponsored toddle to raise money for the NHS.

The toddlers from Children 1st @ Newark and Children 1st @ Newark Town, inspired by the fantastic achievements of Captain Tom Moore and the continuing sacrifices made by NHS frontline staff, took on their own challenge by completing 100 laps of the nursery’s large garden.

Tracey Needham, senior manager at Children 1st @ Newark, said: “Our children wanted to be heroes like Captain Tom and do their bit to raise money for the NHS.

"It was decided that we would show our support by doing 100 laps of the nursery garden in as many ways as we could.”

“We hopped, skipped, crawled, rolled and even did the Cha Cha Slide around our large garden. We also invited our children who cannot attend nursery at the moment to get involved by sending in videos of themselves doing laps of their own gardens.”

As a tribute to Captain Tom, to raise as much money for the NHS as possible, and to show what those at the other end of the age spectrum can achieve, Children 1st Day Nurseries decided to take inspiration from Newark’s activity and launch its own fundraising campaign, Nurseries for the NHS.

Many of the nursery group’s 24 settings remain open to support the children of front-line NHS staff and keyworkers, including its setting on Muskham Road in Newark.

It was decided that launching a fundraising campaign for the NHS would be a great way for the nursery staff to show solidarity with other key workers and also provide a fun activity for children attending nursery to take part in.

Taking inspiration from Captain Tom, the campaign will raise money for NHS Charities Together. All fundraising activity will take the theme of 100, and the company has invited sponsorship from families and the community for a range of activities.

At all settings, non-keyworker children and their families who can’t attend nursery have been invited to take part, helping them to continue to feel part of the nursery community.

In Newark, alongside children toddling at nursery, those at home have taken part, sharing their efforts through social media.

At Children 1st @ Meir Park in Stoke-on-Trent, children and their families have been sending in 100 Silly Selfies which have also been shared on social media.

Children 1st has extended an invitation to nurseries nationally to join the Nurseries for the NHS campaign believing that as well as fund raising for the NHS, the initiative is a great way of bringing nursery communities together.

Whilst this is a hugely troubling time for the early years sector with numerous nurseries expected to close permanently because of the financial impact of covid-19, great efforts have been taken by many providers to ensure they have stayed open during the crisis, enabling key workers to carry out their essential roles safe in the knowledge that their little ones are being well looked after.

Adrian Mason, managing director of Children 1st Day Nurseries said: “We hope that the campaign will raise a significant amount of money for NHS Charities Together and that our families, and those attending other nurseries, can join in and have some fun during lockdown.

“People are welcome to do whatever type of fundraising they like to help raise money, as long as its 100 of something. It could be 100 star jumps in the back garden, or 100 laps around the block on a micro-scooter. Whatever it is, we invite people to take part, film it, share it on social media using the hashtag #NurseriesfortheNHS and then make a donation on the Nurseries for the NHS Go Fund Me page.”

Donations to the Nurseries for the NHS campaign can be made via Go Fund Me at the following link https://www.gofundme.com/f/nurseries-for-the-nhs

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