A NEILSTON nursery made history ten years ago by becoming the first in Scotland to be awarded the Platinum Award for Enterprise.

Madras Family Centre, in Main Street, was awarded for its enterprising initiatives throughout the 2007/08 school year.

Staff at the nursery encouraged the children to come up with ideas to raise money.

The kids decided to make their own plant pots and grow their own plants.
The youngsters then sold the plants to their parents and gathered in the money themselves, making a tidy profit of £150.

Senior child development officer Natalie Rankin said at the time: “It was a great initiative to get the children to take charge. They managed everything on their own and even chose where the profits went to.”

The caring youngsters decided to donate the cash to the Dogs Trust – and, as a thank-you, the charity visited the nursery with some furry friends.

That led to a series of events focusing on pet care, with police dogs and a guide dog charity also coming out on visits.

In response, some of the nursery pupils decided to spend their pocket money on dog toys to donate.

One pupil, Lucy Young, went a step further by donating a huge chunk of her birthday money to the Dogs Trust.

The nursery hosted an award ceremony to mark its success.