Celebrations mark official opening of new nursery site

Alverbridge Nursery said goodbye to its former facility at Haselworth Primary School as it relocated to a new building in South Street.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony declared the new site officially open – led by Hampshire County Council’s executive member for education, councillor Peter Edgar.

Describing the occasion, Alverbridge Nursery’s support manager, Nicole Noble, said: ‘We are over the moon. All of our parents have moved with us and this is an amazing facility for the future.

‘It has been a mammoth task and it has involved so much hard work from the staff and their families.

‘The support from the local community has been phenominal along the way and we can’t thank everyone enough.’

Alverbridge Nursery – which cares for 108 local families – has been rated ‘outstanding’ by education watchdog Ofsted for more than 12 years.

The opening event for its new home was also marked by a children’s tea party, attended by Cllr Peter Edgar and mayor of Gosport Cllr Linda Batty.

The pair later unveiled a plaque inside the building, paying homage to the efforts of the local community who put in hundreds of hours of work to make the move possible.

After declaring the nursery officially re-opened, Cllr Peter Edgar said: ‘What a fantastic new home for Alverbridge Nursery, in Gosport town centre. The team at Alverbridge has given us a great example of what can be achieved by sheer hard work, tenacity and vision.

‘Early years education is so important to give children a good start, and can have a lasting impact on their educational progress.

‘Having such a wonderful facility in which to begin their structured learning will be invaluable for these children, and many more children in the years to come.’

Throughout the process of relocating, the nursery’s staff, their families, students from the nearby St Vincent College and members of the local community volunteered their time to help move equipment, paint and decorate the nursery.

The facility was built by Wilson House and PDP Architecture – with a host of local companies offering free or heavily discounted goods to enable the project to be completed on time and within budget.

It came just months after Alverbridge Nursery held a fair to celebrate turning 20.