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Nursery Wins at NMT Awards!

The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery has won the category Best Forest School/Nature Kindergarten in the Scottish NMT Nursery Awards 2019.

As Scotland’s first ever fully outdoor nursery, a unique and highly acclaimed philosophy and practice has evolved in the woods crafted around the guiding principles – Presence, Nature, Play. 

Winners of the 6thScottish NMT Nursery Awards 2019 were presented with their trophies by Arlene Stuart at the high-profile gala night held on Friday 30thAugust at the Hilton Glasgow Hotel, attended by over 350 guests.

About the Awards: The Scottish NMT Nursery Awards are an annual event organised by Nursery Management Today, the leading business publication in the nursery sector and sponsored by key companies providing services in the sector. The Awards are designed to discover and reward the very best people in the Scottish Nursery Sector.There were 12 categories to enter overall and there were six finalists in each category with two independent judges.

A word from the Judges: The Judges chose The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery because of their embedded belief that nature is the facilitator. They recognised the strong, collaborative relationships the nursery has within the local community and how this supports daily experiences. Presence, nature and play all the way.

Naomi and Sarah travelled through to the Glasgow Hilton, replacing their waterproofs and wellies for skirts and heels, to accept the award on behalf of the nursery.

In the News

Scotland’s Play Awards

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At the end of 2017 we were delighted to have been nominated for the Nancy Ovens Awards. Back in 2008 the nursery won the award for Outstanding Contribution to Play and this time, almost 10 years on, we were ecstatic to win the Play in Nursery and School (rural) category! Kath (our Care Manager – right) and Sarah (our Assistant Care Manager – Left) attended the award ceremony at BT Murrayfield which ran alongside Scotland’s first Play Convention.

The Nancy Oven’s Awards were established in 2003 and are Scotland’s only Play Awards. They are supported by the Scottish Government and each year many wonderful play organisations apply to win the prestigious award. You can read more about the Nancy Oven’s Trust here.