Children from a private day care nursery presented Winston Bear - the mascot of the Winston's Wish charity - with a cheque for more than £600 earned from fund-raising activities.

The All My Friends Barnwood Nursery has been organising events for Cheltenham-based childhood bereavement charity Winston's Wish in the past year and have raised £636.

Each year, All My Friends Childcare group, which includes a nursery, two after-school clubs and a holiday club, choose a charity they would like to support.

Managing Director, Karen Heaton-Jones explained, "Learning, friendship and community are core values at the heart of everything we do at All My Friends.

"The involvement of our whole community - children, their families and our staff team - in fundraising activities for Winston's Wish has been a great experience for us all.

"Not only has it offered our children an important life lesson through participation in fun activities with their friends, but also the opportunity to enjoy and understand the significance of helping and supporting others."

The senior management team and staff held discussions on how they would like to fund raise, and curriculum lead at the nursery, Carol Morris, was chosen to coordinate and make contact with Winston's Wish.

She said: "Working in partnership with Winston's Wish has been a joy, they have been so supportive with all our events providing banners and fund raising pots, and they were always on hand to support us.

"Winston Bear himself came along to our Summer Fun Day and met the whole team and the families who attend our nursery."

Nursery manager, Kim Commander added: "Other events included an Easter raffle and an Easter Bonnet competition, which was a roaring success with the children creating some impressive Easter bonnets.

"A summer fete-themed fun day was organised and open to the public, with stalls, face painting, BBQ and a large bouncy castle for the children to enjoy.

"The last event was a Hotdog and Sizzler night exclusive to families whose children attend the nursery, and everyone loved it.

"There was also a bonfire, cake, hotdogs and hot chocolate, and children had the chance to have a sparkler, face paints and glitter tattoos. We had great feedback from the parents."

Jodie Pilkington from Winston's Wish commented: "Here at Winston's Wish, we're extremely grateful to All My Friends Childcare for their fundraising in 2019.

"Through their fun family events they have raised £635.43 for our charity.

"That sum could fund our Freephone National Helpline for half a day, which is the gateway to our services, offering therapeutic advice to parents and professionals seeking to support a bereaved child.

"Additionally, we could provide 38 families with one of our specialist publications, which offer parents and professionals advice and guidance on how to help bereaved children cope with their grief.

"Thank you to all the staff, parents and children at the nursery for helping us give hope to grieving children."