Earlier this month we said goodbye to our little ones who are beginning their school journey in September.

Belmont nursery manager Donna Green said: “We are going to miss the children who have graduated very much, they’ve been an absolute pleasure to care for in their time with us.

“But we also know they will thrive in their chosen schools and look forward to hearing how they are doing when they start their school journey in September.”

Here are just a few of the images that we captured on the day…

A COUNTY Durham nursery has donated enough products to County Durham Food Bank to provide 135 meals for those who need help most.

Clever Clogs Day Nursery in Belmont organised the collection as part of International Day of Families.
Over the past few weeks the nursery has been collecting non-perishable foods, including tinned fruit and vegetables, noodles, pasta, rice, cereals, chocolate spread and cartons of milk.

Toiletries for babies, children and adults were also collected.

Donations were made by parents, carers and staff, with all food going to County Durham Food Bank to feed families from across the area.

Nursery manager Donna Green said: “We were overwhelmed at the generosity shown by our parents, carers and staff.

“The children from all the rooms helped us pack up the crates to take the collected items to the food bank, and some of the older ones came with us to deliver all the food, drinks, toiletries and baby essentials.

“It was a lovely experience for them and they were given a certificate in recognition of our support. The food bank told us that because of our help we have provided enough food to make 135 meals for people who need it most.

“Your support really has made a difference to our community and I’d like to thank everyone who helped us. It means so much.”

In 2025 County Durham Food Bank provided early 12,000 people in crisis with enough food to last them for three days.

We are delighted to have once again been voted one of the best in the country thanks to the feedback of parents and carers.

Clever Clogs Nursery Group was placed seventh out of 1,640 nursery groups that were scored by the team at Day Nurseries.

That ranking was secured thanks to its perfect 10 out of 10 rating, and put it ahead of some of the biggest and most recognised groups in the country.

The award was given by the industry-leading Day Nurseries (www.daynurseries.co.uk) platform, which assesses the performances of nursery groups and individual nurseries across the country based on the reviews that are shared by parents and carers of children who attend.

The annual awards also put the group’s three nurseries, Clever Clogs Day Nursery in Belmont, Clever Clogs Day Nursery in Bowburn and Little Ladybirds in Stockton, in the Top 20 Nurseries for the North East region, coming in at 8th, 6th and 7th respectively, as of March 31st 2026.

Andrea Townsley, owner of Clever Clogs Nursery Group, said: “I could not be prouder that our nurseries have been recognised at the very highest level, regionally and nationally.

“As a small group with only three nurseries, to rank seventh out of 1,640 is unbelievable. We have always said we may be small, but we’re perfectly formed and this rating, along with the coveted 10 out of 10 score, is proof of that.

“This success really is down to the fantastic teams we have in place, and staff who go above and beyond every single day to ensure our children receive the very best care and pre-school support.

“What’s even more special is that the Day Nurseries awards are based on the feedback our parents and carers have provided. It’s them who are saying we’re doing a wonderful job and that means the world to us.”

Each of the nurseries in the Clever Clogs group looks after over 120 children, from babies through to pre-school.

Sharon Lewis, Operations Director at Clever Clogs Nursery Group, added: “Whenever our nurseries are recognised for their standards of excellence, of course we are delighted. But when that recognition comes nationally, because of what our parents and carers are saying about us, that means even more.

“I want to say thank you to every single member of staff who has contributed to these award wins. It’s a team effort and everyone has played a part in our success, and we really do appreciate that.”

Feedback from parents/carers included:

“Since my granddaughter started nursery, we have noticed her development has improved greatly, staff members are always informative with handovers and always go above and beyond.” (Clever Clogs Day Nursery Belmont)

“Our little boy goes in and out beaming which is the biggest review of all for us as parents. His development with food, language and movement has come leaps and I know this has been helped massively by the ladies in his room.” (Clever Clogs Day Nursery Bowburn)

“When my daughter joined at the age of two she didn’t say a word, was so shy and only wanted her mum. Little Ladybirds have made her confident and given her the tools and support with her language. I cannot rate or thank the team enough.” (Little Ladybirds Day Nursery).

“My son loves attending this nursery and we always know he is safe and happy when we leave him.” (Clever Clogs Day Nursery Belmont)

“Amazing nursery and staff.” (Clever Clogs Day Nursery Belmont).

“We couldn’t have asked for a better experience for our son starting nursery. All the staff are so warm and friendly.” (Little Ladybirds Day Nursery).

“My wife and I are very at ease leaving our son there, knowing he will get the best care. In every room you get the feeling that the people working there care. That matters.” (Clever Clogs Day Nursery Bowburn).

Clever Clogs Nursery Group employs over 130 people across the three North East locations.

Staff from our Bowburn and Belmont nurseries. along with colleagues from Little Ladybirds Day Nursery in Stockton, have completed a charity walk to raise money for little Benny Bahmanizad.

Benny is sadly battling stage four neuroblastoma and recently suffered a relapse in his cancer journey.

Until recently, Benny attended our Bowburn nursery, and his sister Zara is still there.

We wanted to give our support to Benny’s parents, Nicola and Daniel, so we organised the sponsored walk walk from Captain Cook’s monument in Middlesbrough to Roseberry Topping.

Vicky Harrison, nursery manager at Bowburn, said: “We really wanted to do out bit to help the family, who we know very well as Benny came to our nursery until recently and his sister is still with us.

“Unfortunately, Benny has suffered a relapse and the only treatment he can receive is in Rome, so this walk was a way for us to do our bit to get him there.”

Despite entering remission, he suffered a relapse last year, and his parents were told the cancer had spread.

The only treatment available to Benny now is in Rome, where he could undergo CAR T-cell therapy. His family has been working to raise £393,000 to fund the treatment.

Although they have reached the target, they still need financial support for follow up treatment and other costs.

A young apprentice is celebrating becoming a fully-fledged member of a County Durham nursery after completing her training.

Elise Overend, 20, started working at Clever Clogs Day Nursery in Bowburn in August 2024.

The qualification she undertook was a Level 3 Early Years apprenticeship.

Earlier this month Elise successfully completed the training and development programme, meaning she is now a fully qualified Early Years Educator.

Elise, who works with pre-school children in the nursery’s Clever Thinkers room, said: “I am so pleased to have completed my apprenticeship, and very proud that I have passed it.

“I absolutely love being part of the nursery team and have worked so hard to constantly learn and develop while I have been undertaking my training.

“Everyone at the nursery has been so supportive since I joined, and I want to thank them for helping me during my apprenticeship. Now I want to enjoy being fully qualified but I do still plan to develop my knowledge so I constantly better myself.”

Nursery Manager Vicky Harrison said: “We are so proud of Elise.

“From her first day with us, she has proved to be a real asset and has pushed herself throughout her apprenticeship to learn as much as possible about working in the nursery.

“The children love her and she really is a valued member of the Clever Clogs family. Well done Elise.”

Dozens of bags of toys and gifts have been donated to a Teesside domestic abuse charity thanks to the generosity of an award-winning nursery.

Little Ladybirds Day Nursery in Stockton organised a Christmas collection in aid of My Sister’s Place in Middlesbrough.

The nursery has already delivered food boxes to Feeding Families to help those who are struggling this winter, but not done there, they decided to hold another festive collection to help families affected by domestic abuse.

And earlier this week the presents were delivered by Nursery Manager Claire Harrison-Jones.

She said: “We have been overwhelmed by just how generous our parents and carers have been this Christmas. Just days after we donated dozens of boxes of food items to Feeding Families, they were prepared to extend their goodwill to give even more.
“It is the season of good will but we also appreciate that it’s a tough time for everyone.
“So I cannot thank people enough for the donations.

“They really will make a difference to families affected by domestic abuse, who have turned to My Sister’s Place for support after going through an incredibly difficult time.”

Donations included clothes, toys, smelly sets and books, which will be distributed by the charity before Christmas.

My Sister’s Place has been supporting people affected by domestic abuse for over 20 years and relies on support from businesses and organisations like Little Ladybirds to keep up the work it does on Teesside.

Children, parents, carers and staff at a County Durham nursery are getting into the festive spirit to bring Christmas magic to their neighbours.

Every year Clever Clogs Nursery Group in Bowburn organises a Christmas present tree to ensure that the residents of Bowburn Care Centre get an extra gift under the tree.

The residents each get a gift tag to write down what they’d like for Christmas, and the tags are then hung on the tree in the nursery’s reception for people to take.

Once purchased, the gifts are wrapped and dropped off, with the tags back on. And in the days leading up to Christmas, the nursery’s staff and children become Santa Claus to deliver the presents to the residents.

Nursery Manager Vicky Harrison said: “We love bringing festive cheer to the nursing home residents.

“It’s a little something we can do to ensure Christmas is extra special for them.

“We laughed cause while most gift requests we can fulfil, we did get one resident who requested a younger man for her present this year. As much as we like to give them what they want, unfortunately we couldn’t deliver that for her.

“Every year the generosity shown by our parents, carers and children amazes us. We appreciate things are hard for everyone yet despite that, the gift tags flew off the tree and every single resident’s request was met.

“So thank you to you all, the joy this little festive act of kindness brings to the residents is massive and really does bring a smile to everyone’s face.”

Gifts included smelly sets, chocolates, books and biscuits.

Children, parents, carers and staff at a County Durham nursery have helped raise £300 for a cancer support charity.

Clever Clogs Day Nursery in Bowburn held a coffee morning, cake sale and raffle recently in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Local businesses including a gym, a butcher, a cafe and Hall Hill Farm gave their backing by donating git vouchers for prizes, while one parent who runs a restaurant donated a meal for two.

There were also prizes of bottles of wines, smellies, gift sets and sweets while the rooms were decorated in green and everyone wore something green for the day.

The fundraising funday was organised by nursery manager Vicky Harrison, deputy manager Jess Lowes and early years education Mia Carter, who sourced the majority of the prizes for the raffle.

Jess Lowes said: “The children really enjoyed all the fun of the day, especially being able to eat some of the lovely cakes on sale.

“The parents and local businesses were so supportive, and I think the fantastic prizes on offer in the raffle definitely helped with the fundraising efforts.

“We are delighted that our event has helped raise £300 for Macmillan Cancer Support, money which will help the charity continue to provide vital care to those who need it most.”

Our Belmont nursery has raised £1,100 for a North East charity which provides vital support to children with disabilities.

The nursery held a fundraising day including a tombola and a raffle in aid of Heel and Toe Children’s Charity.

The day was organised by room seniors Nicole Hopkinson and Catherine Mann.

A little girl who attends the nursery uses the charity’s hydrotherapy pool in Chester-le-Street, and two of the nursery’s room seniors, Nicole Hopkinson and Catherine Mann, heard about the possibility that the pool may have to close.

They decided to organise the fundraising day to help the charity’s efforts to raise enough money to keep the pool open.

Donna Green, manager at Belmont, said: “When Catherine and Nicole told us the pool was struggling and was at risk of closing down, we knew we had to help.

“The little girl from our nursery who uses it gets so much from it, as do the many other children who rely on hydrotherapy sessions to help with their conditions.

“It’s just too important a service to lose, so we decided to hold a tombola and raffle to raise money.
“The nursery brought prizes and the parents were so generous too, donating gifts suitable for adults and children, including hampers, bouquets of flowers, alcohol, sweets, a hairdressing voucher, books and toys, which meant we could hold raffles for both.

“Andrea, who owns our nursery, was also very supportive and donated a red-letter experience, to be chosen by the winner, while local quarry business Breedon Ltd donated a spa day and an outdoor slide and climbing frame for children aged over six months.

“We couldn’t believe how much our staff, local businesses, parents and carers got on board, from the moment we opened our doors until we closed that evening, it was a constant stream of donations and sales of tickets. We can’t thank everyone enough for their support, which meant we raised £1,100 for Heel and Toe. This money will make a massive difference and along with other fundraising activities, will ensure the charity can continue to offer hydrotherapy sessions for children across the region.”

A cheque presentation was held at the nursery to officially hand over the donation to Kirsty Hutton from Heel and Toe Children’s Charity.

An award-winning nursery group has announced the appointment of a new Area Manager, further strengthening its senior management team.

Clever Clogs Nursery Group, which includes Clever Clogs Day Nursery in Belmont, Clever Clogs Day Nursery in Bowburn and Little Ladybirds Day Nursery in Stockton, has confirmed the recruitment of Lauren Heward.

Lauren will work directly with Group Operations Director Sharon Lewis to continue the group’s outstanding practice and offering support to the managers at all three sites to ensure the right care is provided to the 700-plus children who attend the nurseries.

Lauren, who hails from Oxfordshire and is married to a Stockton man, brings nearly 20 years of experience to the role, having started in the childcare industry when she was 17. Over the years she worked her way up from nursery nurse to senior manager and held management positions where she was responsible for turning around nurseries that were rated Poor by Ofsted inspectors.

As Area Manager, she is looking forward to building on the excellent reputation and industry rating that all three nurseries have built up.

She said: “My husband is in the Royal Air Force, and we were living in military accommodation, but had decided that it was the right time for us to get on the property ladder.

“It was always our plan to relocate from Reading where we were living to the North East, so I started looking for jobs and found this one with Clever Clogs Nursery Group.

“It was perfect, everything they were looking for I had experience in, and it was so similar to the role I was in.
“I researched the nurseries, and I liked their ethos, the curriculum and the aesthetics. It felt right to me, they came across like a family, so I applied.

“When I had the interview, I knew it was the job I wanted, the team was so lovely and there was a really nice, welcoming feel about the nurseries.”

Lauren started in the role at the end of last month and has spent the first few weeks getting to grips with each nursery, getting to know the staff and spending time in the different rooms getting to know the children.
Clever Clogs Nursery Group Operations Director Sharon Lewis said: “We are delighted to have secured someone of Lauren’s experience.

“We knew when we interviewed her that she was exactly who we were looking for. It was clear she shared our passion and commitment to the continued development of our nurseries and providing the very best care to the children who attend.

“Although just a few weeks into the role, Lauren has already become part of the Clever Clogs family and is proving to be an excellent addition to our senior management team.”