A nursery has been awarded a special accreditation from UK charity Meningitis Now.
The team at Little Oaks Private Day Nursery and Pre-school in Accrington received the Meningitis Aware Recognition Mark (MARM) after completing a training schedule set up by the charity.
To receive the MARM, the nursery had to provide evidence that staff were fully trained in recognising the early signs of meningitis in children, and have policies and plans in place should they spot any symptoms.
Little Oaks Nursery Manager Nicola Sledden said: “A lot of work has gone into ensuring that our nursery is Meningitis Aware, so we’re thrilled to receive the recognition from Meningitis Now.
“The health and safety of our children is the most important thing in the world to us, and we undergo regular paediatric first aid and safeguarding training to support this.
“Our whole team took to the extra training with great enthusiasm, and we’re proud that our nursery is now officially an even safer place to be for our children.”
Kelly Archer, information and projects co-ordinator at Meningitis Now, said babies and young children are the age group at greatest risk of contracting meningitis.
She said: “With so many being in the care of childcare providers when parents are at work, we have developed this training resource for the sector, to help them recognise the disease and, where required, take the appropriate action.
“Awareness can, and does, save lives and improve outcomes.”
