Our children have been out and about in recent months helping to maintain community gardens and visiting residents of a local nursing home.  

For several years now, we’ve has been partnered with Grow73, a local charity dedicated to enhancing the local environment. Each week, children from the nursery have the chance to help volunteers from Grow73 on various projects, helping to cultivate an appreciation for nature and environmental stewardship among the preschoolers.  

The children have been involved in planting and maintaining Grow73’s community garden areas in Overtoun Park, as well as brightening the space around the church with new plants and flowers. 

The children have also been visiting residents of the Abbeyfield nursing home on Stonelaw Drive, where they read stories, sing songs, play games, and create artwork together. A small group of children visit each week and they’re always happy to see the friends they’ve made among the residents there.  

Being part our local community is really important to us. We’re lucky to be based here at Stonelaw Church, which has its own strong links to people and places in and around Rutherglen, and we’ve worked hard to build good relationships with Grow73 and the Abbeyfield nursing home.  

Getting the children involved in gardening activities has not only taught them about the importance of sustainable practices but has also helped them develop patience, responsibility, and teamwork skills. They dig in the soil, plant seeds, water the plants, and watch them grow. It’s fantastic to see the pride they take in their work! 

We’re also really proud of how much the children enjoy their visits to Abbeyfield. Spending time with older people outside their families helps to bridge the generational gap, promoting empathy, understanding, and compassion among the children. The residents really enjoy meeting and playing with the children too. 

One of the most important things we’re trying to teach the children in our care is that they are part of a community, and that they can make a difference by getting involved. We hope that these are lessons that they’ll take with them for the rest of their lives once they leave us and head off to school.

We are thrilled to announce that our Christmas Fayre helped raised more than £700 in support of the nursery!

Our event, on Saturday 26 November, offered visitors the chance to sample home baking, buy soft toys, dance at a Christmas-themed disco, and browse stalls showcasing crafts from local small businesses. There was even a chance for an early visit to Santa’s grotto.

The funds we raised will be used to provide new equipment and experiences for the children.

Cheryl Nicol, our nursery manager, said: “We’re absolutely delighted at the support we received from the Rutherglen community at our Christmas Fayre.  

“It’s been three years since we were able to hold a Christmas event like this due to Covid restrictions, so we were thrilled to see so many people come through the doors of Stonelaw Church.

“We’re so grateful to everyone who came along, and to all those friends of the nursery who offered their time to help out at the event. We’re excited to start planning how to spend the money we raised on new games, books and outings for our children.” 

Our children have a busy festive season ahead of them, with plans in place for a nativity play, a carol-singing session at Rutherglen Exchange, and a visit to the pantomime at Rutherglen Town Hall before the Christmas break.  

We’re getting set for the festive season as we prepare for a Fayre!

The nursery’s annual Christmas Fayre will be held on Saturday 26 November in Stonelaw Church on Dryburgh Road. All proceeds will be used to support the nursery, which is a registered charity.

Visitors will have the chance for an early audience with Santa in his grotto, as well as the opportunity to sample home baking prepared by family and friends of the nursery.

Toys donated by local families will be on sale, and a lucky dip raffle with a wide range of prizes, including vouchers from local businesses like Buon Appetito, Lucianos, Toffee Apple Tearoom and Pasco’s Deli.

The work of local craftspeople will also be showcased, with stalls offering bath and beauty products, candles, jewellery and interior decorations, all created by small businesses based in and around Rutherglen.

Cheryl Nicol, nursery manager at Stonelaw Preschool, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to open the doors for our Christmas Fayre for the first time in three years now that pandemic restrictions have eased.

“We’ve signed up some fantastic local artisans to put their creations on sale, which could make for some lovely Christmas gifts, and we have a great selection of toys and home baking too.

 “Our Fayres have been really popular in previous years and all the money we raise will help us continue to give our children the best possible pre-school experience. We’re really looking forward to welcoming people back to our Fayre on November 26th!”

The Stonelaw Preschool Christmas Fayre will be held at Stonelaw Church on Dryburgh Avenue in Rutherglen between 10am and 1pm on Saturday 26 November. Entry is £2 for adults and £1 for children.

Our very own preschool superheroes teamed up this week to support Stonelaw with donations from a sponsored walk.

They dressed as their favourite comic-book characters and headed off on a fundraising mission to Overtoun Park on Thursday 26th May.

The tiny titans showed off their superhuman enthusiasm as they walked, jumped and ran laps around the park to help raise money for the nursery, which is a registered charity.

They were joined by their parents, grandparents and childminders, who helped the children raise more than £700.

We’ll use the money to maintain our high standards of care and buy new books, equipment and toys for the children to enjoy.

Cheryl Coventry, nursery manager at Stonelaw Preschool, said: “We’re delighted and grateful that our children have helped to raise so much money to support Stonelaw. We had a brilliant time in the park and it was fantastic to bring people together to see the children have fun.

“Like all schools and nurseries, the last couple of years of pandemic restrictions have made it difficult for parents and carers to spend as much time as we’d want them to at the nursery.

“This was a great way to celebrate our wonderful kids with their families and we’re looking forward to doing many more events like this in the months ahead.”

The sponsored walk is part of a series of fun activities planned at Stonelaw in the runup to the summer holidays. We’re also arranging a sports day and a graduation ceremony for children setting off for their first year at primary school.

We brought some Christmas cheer to shoppers at Rutherglen Exchange this week!

We visited the shopping centre on Monday December 13 to sing Christmas carols and raise money for the nursery, which is a registered charity. 

Over the course of the hour-long visit, we managed to raise close to £100 for the nursery from generous passersby.  

And our efforts were also rewarded by Stephen Burns, manager of The Works in Rutherglen Exchange, who provided each caroller with a book from the store’s selection. 

The musical event was part of Stonelaw Preschool’s month of Christmas celebrations, which has already included a sponsored Santa Dash and will also include a nativity play and a special Christmas lunch.  

Kirsty Torrance, Early Years Manager at Stonelaw Preschool, led the group visit to Rutherglen Exchange. She said: “We were delighted to meet local people at the Exchange and show them the results of the singing practice we’ve been doing with the children over the last couple of weeks. 

“We work hard to engage with the local community through outdoor activities like litterpicking and our partnership with the community gardeners at Grow 73, so it was wonderful to be able to visit.” 

Rutherglen Exchange manager Jane Cowan added: “It was great to welcome children from Stonelaw Preschool to do some carolling, and we were very happy to host them.  

“It definitely brought some smiles to the faces of visitors and we’d love to have them back again next year!”

See more pictures from our visit below!