A preschool that was built adjoining to a local primary school has marked a successful first year, despite the pandemic. Stepping Stones Preschool, at Weedon Bec Primary School, celebrated its first birthday on Wednesday (September 9). The attached preschool had always been the vision for the school and last year governors gave it the go ahead. Manager, Emma Saunders, was given a blank canvas, with just four children on the books in September 2019. Now, the numbers have grown to 19 and more children are joining every month. Executive headteacher of Weedon Bec, Antony Witheyman, said: "We wanted to give our parents an obvious feeder setting into our primary school, where the children could get used to our school environment, fit in with the ethos of our school and begin to develop their early skill. "I am so proud of Emma and her staff and am so thrilled that the community has embraced our new venture. “It is so lovely to watch the first children move from our preschool into our reception class. “Our preschool thrives on nurture, exploration and the importance of every child’s unique learning journey and we are thrilled with everything this first year has brought - even with the current situation." To celebrate, children and the staff held a birthday party with games, prizes, dancing, party bags and a cake. Message from the editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper. Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper. Thank you