PAST NEWS - Sept 20 to July 21

Tesco Community Grant - Token Voting

The Pre-school has been accepted to take part in the Tesco Community Grant Scheme where we have been put forward to a customer vote in Tesco stores whereby we could win upto a £1,000 towards our new build project. The voting will commence in store from 12th July 2021 and continue to 30th September 2021. We hope as many people as possible will try and vote for us.

Please see below a list of stores we have been informed are taking part in the voting of our project. Please note that due to equipment issues, in a small number of stores, voting will not begin until later in July.

6526 BEDFORD METRO MK40 1PS Metro
6019 BEDFORD HI ST EXP MK40 1RZ Express
5675 BEDFORD FORD END EXP MK40 4JH Express
2087 BEDFORD 1 MK41 0SE Superstore
4539 CLAPHAM HGH ST EXP MK41 6AG Express
6579 BEDFORD BRICKHI D EXP MK41 7QF Express
2105 BEDFORD EXTRA MK42 0BG Extra
6591 NEW CARDINGTON EXP MK42 0GE Express
2766 BEDFORD RD KEMPST EXP MK42 8DD Express
4810 WOOTON EXP MK43 9DA Express

To check the location of any of the above stores, please go to the Tesco website here: http://www.tesco.com/store-locator/uk

To vote, you will need to make a purchase within store of any value. You will receive one token per transaction and it's not necessary to purchase a carrier bag in order to receive a token. At the end of the voting period the votes will be counted and grants awarded as per the standings at that point.

NEW BUILD - July 2021

Usual residents are back!

Sheep enjoying the new landscape!

NEW BUILD - June 2021

After many delays and challenges, including Brexit and the small matter of a worldwide pandemic, we are proud to say that work has commenced on a new pre-school for the local community. We are still applying for grants to help complete the project, if you would like to help in anyway, please do get in touch. Please go to the New Build page to see our ‘Name a Brick Appeal’ or our flyer in the latest Oakley village newsletter, where you can help to raise funds and be a part of the new pre- school’s journey. We are hoping to be open in the new building from early 2022 and very much look forward to future generations playing and learning in their wonderfully enabling new environment.

May 2021

Digging commences!

Building Footprint takes shape.

Screw Piling Foundations are put in.

World Book Day - 4th March

Celebrated with lots of books and dressing up of favourite book characters. Who are you today?

Pre-school New Build Project

Unfortunately, due to the success of the service we provide, and the closure of nearby pre-schools, we have outgrown our current premises and without a new one, Oakley Pre-school will likely be forced to close within ten years. As a strong part of village life, we feel that this would be devastating for the communities, and the individual families, that we serve now and in the future.

Several pre-schools in north Bedfordshire villages have already closed and we desperately do not want to be next.

To mitigate this, we have been working for some time on plans for a new, bigger premises located in the heart of the village. This would contain purpose-built indoor and outdoor spaces with accessible access, a Forest School and space for up to 40 children. This will ensure we can continue supporting the communities of north Bedfordshire for decades to come.

In March 2019 we were granted planning permission. We envisaged having the building finished by September 2020 but have unfortunately encountered a few problems along the way including access issues which involved changes to the planning and of course major delays due to the Pandemic. However, we are now in the final stages and are working towards the building being completed by Spring 2022.

Please click on to see latest plans.

How you can help

We continually fund raise to help keep our pre-school sustainable but are struggling to raise the amounts needed in order to secure grants to go ahead with the plans for this necessary new building.

We are asking for support from the local community to help safeguard the future of Oakley Pre-school and the future of the children who use it.

We will happily meet with you to discuss further any donation, or any other help you can offer – please contact the pre-school on the number or email address.

3D Internal View

Floor Plan

3D Elevation Views

Oakley Pre-school Name a Brick Appeal

The new building for Oakley Pre-school is now under construction with an opening in Spring 2022. This building will enhance the pre-school providing an increase of almost 70% more session spaces for children from the ages of 2 to 4 years old. It will ensure the health and safety needs of all the children and staff in a picturesque outdoor setting for all to love and enjoy. The building will enable us to be sustainable for the future, ensuring accessible access and providing exceptional facilities for all families attending the setting.

We have raised the majority of the funds to cover the £465K project cost but are now raising money to provide an outdoor play area linked to the inside area through large windows and doors and a safe and accessible access. The covered outside play area will lead out into the outdoor garden space in which to provide the children with further opportunities to engage with nature with a Forest School to enhance their understanding of the world and physical development.

This is an exciting opportunity for past, present, future families and local businesses to support and record their involvement with Oakley Pre-school by buying a brick either single sized engraved brick for £35 or a double sized engraved brick for £70.00. The bricks will be permanently located on the interior wall of the new lobby/corridor displayed for all to see who enter the building.

All the bricks will be produced in stone clay with black engraving. A single sized brick will have engraving over 2 lines with a maximum of 16 characters per line including spaces and a double sized brick will have engraving over 4 lines with a maximum of 16 characters per line including spaces. A sample brick is available in Pre-school for you to view.

If you would like to take part in the ‘Name a Brick Appeal’ to support this project for Oakley Pre-school then please complete the order form and return it to Pre-school with either cash or confirmation that a BACS transfer has been made.

Oakley Pre-school is a registered charity and can, for donations received from a taxpayer, recover income tax already paid by the donor. This will significantly increase the value of any gift from a basic rate taxpayer at no cost to the individual. If you are eligible then please ensure to complete the gift aid declaration at the end of the order form. Thank you.