Caterpillar Pre-school's new garden and playground

The outdoor learning and play space has been unveiled at the South Thatcham Children’s Centre

Children at The Colourful Caterpillar Pre-school can now enjoy outdoor learning in their new garden and playground area.

Based at the South Thatcham Children’s Centre on Lower Way, the pre-school staff and children showed off their refurbished wildlife garden and playground area at an open day.

The play area and garden is designed to provide children with greater opportunities to learn, through digging, growing vegetables, recycling food waste and playing outside.

Alongside the wildlife and sensory area, the preschool was able to purchase a pirate ship, new benches, picnic tables, have new patterns painted on the playground and refurbish the gazebo.

Preschool manager Alison Hemmings said: “This is a wonderful and exciting opportunity for all the children to have access to a new outside area where they can play, learn and discover.”

Staff, parents, friends and representatives from the groups that donated money to the project came to visit the new wildlife garden and the deputy mayor, Lynne Pettyfer, cut the ribbon to officially open the new garden.

The preschool received grants totaling £19,700 from Awards for All, Thatcham Town Council, Sovereign Housing, Greenham Common Trust, Berkshire Masonics and The Cardy Beaver Foundation.