The Lord Lieutenant of Dorset has met with Tops Day Nurseries Wimborne, on Leigh Road, to award them with a Queens Award for enterprise in sustainable development

Angus Campbell Esq, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset, joined Cheryl Hadland, managing director of Tops Day Nurseries, to officially award the nursery chain.

Following the official ceremony, Angus Campbell Esq observed a Tops Cooking School session, where the preschool children at the nursery cooked sugar free apple crumble and he discussed the benefits of the no-added sugar menus provided at Tops with senior nursery manager, Sharon White.

Angus Campbell Esq, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset commented:

“Tops Day nurseries, founded by Cheryl Hadland, has been a phenomenal success story. Founded with one nursery in Parkstone in 1990 and starting with just 4 children, the organisation has grown to 32 Nurseries and caters for well over 3000 children.  The ethos of this business is also involved in recognising environmental issues and has dedicated itself to eliminating as many of the environmental problems involved in the care of young children as possible, such as the use of disposable nappies for instance.

“The availability of safe and reliable early years care is essential to the economy, allowing those who wish to return to the work place to do so in the confidence that their children are being well cared for.

“It was an honour for me, as His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Dorset, to present The Queen’s Award for Enterprise, in the category of Sustainable Development, to Tops Day Nurseries.”

Everyone at the event enjoyed a sustainably sourced, vegetarian buffet catered for by the Tops catering team based at Tops Wimborne, who use fresh and locally sourced produce in the meals that they create and distribute across its Dorset based nurseries.

The award-winning nursery chain also welcomed individuals who have made a significant impact at Tops and who helped them to achieve their Queen’s Award, including Tops colleagues as well as those in external partnerships that support forwarding Tops’ sustainable ethos and practice.

Speaking at the event, Cheryl Hadland said: “Sustainability; environmentally, socially and financially, is a journey and we still have lots to do both in our nurseries and nationally.  I feel we represent children’s rights to a healthy and sustainable education now, and in the future, and I’m hoping that this Queens Award will help us raise the profile of sustainability even further, give our children a voice, as the more nurseries and families that make sustainable decisions, the more likely it is that we can halt climate change and planet pollution in time for humanity to thrive into the distant future.

“Our sustainability journey is of course a team effort.  It has taken courage for the team to follow my lead on sustainability, we have had to be innovative, we have had to learn about a whole range of topics, from researching and sourcing healthy foods and how to cook them, to home composting, and we’ve had to take risks with what little money we have, making actual and personal financial sacrifices. So, a BIG thank you to all the Tops Day Nurseries team.

“We have shown that even the smallest of us can change the way we live for the future of humanity, and this Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development celebrates this and helps us to inspire everyone who cares to do the same.”