Festive magic and cheer arrived at Busy Bees nursery in Greenwich this week as staff and children kicked off their festive celebrations with a Christmas carol day attended by a very special guest, Winston Bear, the mascot of leading childhood bereavement charity, Winston’s Wish.

The nursery raised £100 on the day, of which all proceeds went to the charity to help fund vital bereavement support for UK families and children. As part of a year-long fundraising partnership, Busy Bees nurseries across the country been organising a whole host of different fundraising activities in aid of the good cause raising over £50,000 to-date.

Busy Bees children’s nursery on Antelope road welcomed families, friends and members of the local community to the nursery on Monday 19th of December to sing Christmas Carols and the children also had the opportunity to visit Santa’s grotto as well as have their photograph taken with Winston bear. In the Christmas spirit, guests sampled mince pies and enjoyed listening to children from the nursery sing along to some of their favourite festive songs.

Nursery manager, Katie Cropley, said: “Christmas is a great time to bring families and friends together and it’s a particularly exciting period for the children. Parents from the local community love to come and see the children singing and it was a fantastic day had by all. “We love celebrating Christmas at nursery and over the last couple of weeks, the children have been busy making gifts and decorations for the day, which was made even more special this year by Winston Bear. Winston’s Wish is a fantastic charity and no one person, especially a child, should have to suffer the loss of a family member or sibling in silence. For anyone unfortunate enough to suffer a bereavement in their family, the vital support the charity provides can help to rebuild lives. We’re extremely thankful to our parents who have been so supportive and got behind the cause throughout the year.”

The money raised will go towards funding specialist bereavement support programmes including funding its CUBS programme for children under 5, practitioner-led therapeutic services, regional drop-in sessions and the National Helpline as well as the creation and forthcoming publication of a book designed specifically for pre-school age children to help them cope with bereavement.

Every year Winston’s wish helps more than 40,000 children and young people to rebuild their lives after the death of a parent or sibling through a range of dedicated services. Studies show that if children aren’t supported in the right way during the grieving process, it can have a deep and lasting effect on their emotional well-being causing problems later in life.

Fergus Crow, CEO of Winston’s Wish, said: “We really cannot thank Busy Bees enough for their hard work and fundraising efforts so far this year. They’ve raised over £50,000 – an astonishing amount - that will make a huge difference for bereaved children, including funding our CUBS programme for children under 5, Helpline support and expert practitioners.

“This partnership has been more than a fundraising effort, though. We’re delighted with the close relationship we’ve built with the Busy Bees staff, children and families. The synergy between their childcare and our bereavement support for children is evident and we hope to continue this relationship for many years to come.” Busy Bees nursery in Greenwich is part of the award winning Busy Bees nursery group, the UK’s largest provider of quality childcare. For more details on the event, call the nursery manager on 020 8855 3716 or go to https://www.busybeeschildcare.co.uk/nursery/greenwich.

Based on information supplied by .