Christmas has even been celebrated at Tops Day Nurseries with sustainability in mind. The recipes made have included less meat and dairy, they have had eco-Christmas crackers and have reused wrapping paper for “pass the parcel”.

The nurseries have been working towards becoming more sustainable and now all settings in the group have achieved a bronze and silver Eco-Schools Award  and Green Flag Award.

Assessment has been completed via zoom calls and photographic evidence rather than on-site visits in order to protect the assessors, and the children.

The Eco-Schools is a global programme engaging millions of children across 64 different countries, making it the largest environmental schools programme in the world.  The programme provides a framework for learning and action around nine topics – biodiversity, energy, litter, global citizenship, healthy living, grounds, transport, waste and water. It follows a very simple seven-step process to lead schools on their journey to achieving a Green Flag Award.

Cheryl Hadland, Managing Director of Tops Day Nurseries said, “I believe the education of our children is the most effective way there is to provide a sustainable environment into the future; by instilling a passion in our colleagues and children to learn more about how everyone can made sustainable decisions each day.

“I think given 2020 has brought on new challenges with COVID-19 with the almost intolerable stress that’s been put on colleagues in the early years sector.  We have continued to be open, throughout the pandemic, adapting to all the challenges as and when they hit us. It’s a huge salute to staff resilience that they been able to focus on positive sustainability with the children, despite the negative news surrounding them.”