A Carlisle child care service were named one of the top three nurseries in the north of England at an awards last month. 

On June 7, staff from Rosehill Day Nursery travelled to Coventry for the NDNA Nursery Awards, which celebrates early years settings from across the country. 

Sisters Sam Ward and Rosie Hart own the nursery and registered it in August 2021, before receiving an outstanding Ofsted grade following their first inspection in July 2023. 

Following the success of the early inspection, the nursery took to find ways to expand the business and soon opened a holiday club upstairs to the nursery in an existing office room.

On their nomination for the NDNA awards, manager Nicola Sinkinson said: "It was very exciting to be nominated as one of the top three nurseries in the North of England, with so many settings being established for some time, and due to the sheer number in that area, we couldn’t quite believe the scale of the matter."

The nursery even received a letter from David Attenborough last year, as part of their efforts to support the natural environment.

Nicola added: "We are very reflecting in our practise and approach and if something needs done, we do it.  We do not hesitate to include all children to the best of our ability or to ask for help when needed in order to support their needs.  We reach out to the community either by singing to local businesses or visiting a care home, and this year we wrote to Sir David Attenborough and were thrilled to find he wrote back!"

While they sadly weren't crowned as the top nursery in the north, all the staff are very proud of the nursery's achievements. 

Nicola concluded: "We are so proud to have made it to the finals and even though we didn’t win, it was a wonderful experience to be a part of, and was a way of us recognising how far we have come in such a short time, and how amazing our staff team are in providing the best care they possibly can."