The two women who launched Holbeach nursery Twigglets 15 years ago had to stand on tiptoe to hug their first baby at the anniversary celebrations.
Teenager Max Pearce told the pair - Julie Buckley and Teresa Spinks - that he didn’t remember anything about his time at Twigglets from the age of six months, but thanked them just the same.
More than 100 parents and staff past and present, friends and others involved in purpose-building the nursery in 1997 at Branches Lane came together for Twigglets’ 15th anniversary dance on Saturday at Holbeach United Services Club.
Julie said: “It was lovely to meet Max and see his parents again. We’ll always remember him as our first baby - he was the youngest of our five first Twigglets children.”
The original building was extended in 2000 to its present capacity of 44 children aged six months to seven years at any one time.
Changes in economic circumstances, working patterns and government allowances towards free pre-school childcare have brought ups and downs, but Twigglets has come through.
Julie said: “There have been all sorts of different circumstances that affected us and we’re glad to have survived and to be in a position now to take two-year-olds who are entitled to free childcare because their parents are on certain benefits as well as the pre-school three-year-olds who get 15 hours a week free in termtime.
“There were very few nurseries when we started and it’s good that so much more is now available for all parents.”