Kenilworth nursery and pre-school children give Christmas messages of hope to older residents of the town

The children at Castle Nursery and Preschool have created handmade Christmas cards which are currently being displayed on trees at the Priory Road site.

They will be sent safely to residents of retirement and care homes across the town .

Claudia Hamminger-Stone, the manager at Castle Preschool, said: " Our preschool children have been working especially hard: they wrote individual letters to all residents at Wilton Court retirement home, where, under normal circumstances, our children visit to share songs and activities.

"The letters tell residents how they will celebrate Christmas, and what they might leave Father Christmas for his Midnight feast.

"Each child also voiced some advice on how their elderly friends could enjoy their Christmas: by eating good food, sharing presents, and making footprints in the snow - perhaps!

"To accompany our display, our preschool has also created a Beacon of Light to welcome our families, just as our hard-working teachers, practitioners and staff, have continued to do throughout the pandemic.

"We hope that our gigantic 20-foot high Christmas tree will delight families as well as all passers-by throughout the festive season.

"The children used all recyclable materials such as tiles to create mosaic Christmas pictures, and we are encouraging everyone passing by to spot the Christmas pudding, the donkeys, the presents and many more Christmas items.

"We at Castle feel that during a very gloomy time, the story of the efforts of our children and staff will be a positive message for your readers and invite them to take part in this magical Christmas tree festival.

"Early Years settings have frequently been overlooked as a frontline service during this crisis, and as our nursery and preschool staff have continued to be on the frontline as key workers this year, we feel that this message of appreciation for their efforts would go a long way."

*Parents of children at the nursery have also donated more than 300 presents to the Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal and the youngsters are pictured here holding some of the gifts.