Woodentots Nursery celebrates grand opening ceremony

Parents and staff gathered at Woodentots Nursery recently to celebrate the opening of the new nursery building and the refurbishment of the other buildings there.

The opening ceremony was attended by Rear Admiral Iain Henderson CB CBE DL, the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, and he unveiled a plague within the new building to mark the occasion.

A cake was then jointly cut by Mrs Julie Vitali, the wife of the Commanding Officer of HMS Collingwood and Eva-Grace, one of the older children who attend Woodentots.

Despite all the building work that has been going on, the nursery has continued to operate normally and this has given the children a unique opportunity to see diggers in action which they have particularly enjoyed.

The building and refurbishments have been financed by donations from, amongst others, Anna Wright Annington Trust, Naval Families Federation, Greenwich Hospital Trust, the RNRMC (Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity) and the LIBOR DCYP (Directorate Children and Young People) funding. These organisations were either represented or sent congratulations at the opening ceremony. 

“We are so grateful for the kind donations which have provided the children with a wonderful, spacious and ‘fit-for-purpose’ facility to spend their early years in. We are thrilled that everyone was able to join us in officially opening our new premises,” said Lucy Price, the Director of Woodentots.

Woodentots Nursery is designed to be a ‘home from home’ for children and the new building and refurbishment of the others mean that this ‘home from home’ can continue to provide childcare for Service Personnel, MoD civilians and contractors working within HMS Collingwood.