Sun, slides and sandpits: Hospital nursery’s new £22,000 outdoor play area
The latest addition to the Willows Nursery at Sutton Hospital has proved a huge hit with its highly discerning clientele, offering a huge sandpit, a water play area and a host of other outdoor activities from brand new £22,000 facilities.
The outdoor play area has been fully-funded by a local government grant for the project, and has just opened in time for the children to make the most of the weather as the days warm up.
Caroline Thomas, Nursery Manager, said the new development was immensely popular with children:
“As soon as we began work to open the new play area we could tell that the children were going to absolutely love it. The sand pit and water play area are great for them to get really hands on and involved with activities; it’s all so bright and colourful that they can barely contain their excitement.
“Not only is the space great for playing, it’s also pretty functional. The canopy covers a large part of the area so that everything stays dry during a typical Great British summer, and also provides a bit of protection from the sun on the few days a year when we need it.”
Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive, went to see the new additions for himself and was impressed with the extent of the facilities:
“The new play area is really fantastic. As a father of two myself, I can completely imagine my own children having had a great time here.”
The Willows Nursery provides childcare support for staff at Sutton, Epsom and St Helier hospitals; about half of the children are family members of trust staff, while the other half are family members of local residents. The nursery caters for children aged from six months to five years, Monday to Friday, 7.15am - 5.45pm. For more information about the nursery, please visit www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/childcare-support.
