STAFF, children and parents at Whitchurch Montessori Nursery are stepping up their fundraising efforts in a bid to raise enough money to build their own purpose-built nursery.

The nursery moved from Whitchurch last July into their present, temporary room at St Peter's Junior School.

The nursery, which began 32 years ago, has a designated patch of land in the grounds of St Peter's on which to build.

Directress Jan Iles said: 'It has always been our dream to have somewhere of our own and now we've got the land we feel we need to get on and make this happen. The plans are drawn up, we now need to get the funding.'

Jan said a bigger space would enable them to accommodate more children with separate rooms for different age groups.

The plan is to have free-flow from the nursery into the large garden which is already in use and is a real asset.

Various fundraising activities have already taken place over the years and there are more events planned.

Chairperson and parent Helen Fallan ran the Plymouth half-marathon last weekend and took sponsorship in aid of the nursery funds.

She said: 'Reaching our target is a bit of a marathon in itself and we are some way off the finish line.

'We are hoping families that have been associated with the nursery over the past 30 years will dig deep to help us.'

As well as Helen's marathon efforts, the nursery has a weekly cake raffle and the children have recently been collecting spare coins in Smartie tubes.

To help decorate the piece of land and make it more enjoyable for the children, Tavistock Round Table has generously purchased a wooden galleon ship for the garden area (pictured right).

Helen said as well as fundraising they were seeking assistance with other aspects of the venture.

'We need people to help, not just financially, but with things like drawing up a business plan or with skills or time that they would be willing to offer,' she said.

Whichurch Montessori is also celebrating its recent Ofsted inspection for which they were awarded a 'Good' outcome.

Anyone who would like to donate to the nursery fund or offer their services can either pop into the community room at St Peter's School or contact the administrator, Alison Boulter, on 01822 810643 or by email at [email protected]">[email protected] or at the schoolroom on 01822 613927.