A SKIPTON school that began life in a wartime nursery hut is preparing to celebrate a significant birthday - and its inviting anyone interested in joining the festivities to come along.

Brougham Street Community Nursery School was founded towards the end of the Second World War, on February 17, 1944. Today the nursery school is one of only three local authority maintained nursery schools in North Yorkshire, and is the only one to offer year round wraparound care, welcoming babies and children from four months old to when they head off to primary school.

Its 80th birthday will be celebrated with an evening garden party at the school on Friday, July 19 when present and past pupils, parents, teachers, staff and friends, will be able to get together, share old times and stories.

Originally established as Skipton Brougham Street War Time Hut, the institution was created to provide a safe and nurturing environment for young children while their mothers contributed to the nation's war effort.

The wartime nursery hut was originally set up at the end of the girls' playground at the then Brougham Street Secondary Modern School, in Brougham Street. Throughout the years, the nursery school has remained a cornerstone of early childhood education in Skipton, evolving with the times while staying true to its original mission of fostering a supportive and enriching environment for young learners through their ethos of 'Belong, Support, Nurture'.

The current headteacher, Alison Stewart, said she hoped the 80th anniversary celebration would pay tribute to the school's eight decades of nurturing and education.

She said: "We are incredibly proud of our heritage and the role we've played in the lives of so many children and families over the years.

"This celebration is not just about looking back; it's about acknowledging the collective efforts of everyone who has been part of our journey and looking forward to the future with hope and enthusiasm."

To find out more, and to share stories and memories, email: admin@broughamstreet.n-yorks.sch.uk

The garden party on July 19 will take place from 6pm to 8pm, to reserve a ticket, go to: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/brougham-street-nursery-school.