Belfast nursery awarded £20,000 by Nick Jr.’s ‘Help Dora Help’ campaign!

Nick Jr., Nickelodeon’s award winning pre-school channel, today announces that Hope Nursery School in Belfast will receive £20,000 funding, as they drew the greatest number of public votes in the channel’s nationwide social responsibility campaign Help Dora Help.

Help Dora Help launched in May, supported by The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts. The campaign encourages pre-schoolers to learn through exploration. One in five UK nurseries/pre schools registered for a free activity pack and were invited to apply for the grant, by explaining how the nursery would benefit and designing a Dora themed backpack. Five nurseries were selected as finalists by Nick Jr.’s expert judging panel and the ultimate winner was decided by public vote.

Hope Nursery submitted a compelling case, stating their intention to use funds to enhance the landscape of their outdoor play area and build new play facilities allowing children to engage in creative, physical and imaginative play.

Julianne Fleming, Nursery Teacher at Hope Nursery School, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this generous funding. The children, staff and parents embraced the challenge and it’s brought the community together too.  We worked hard to create a real buzz around the nursery being shortlisted and it’s obviously paid off with so many people voting for us. The money will be so well spent here and we look forward to putting our plans into action.”

Tracey Seawright, a Parent at Hope Nursery, said:  “The staff and children of Hope fully deserve the number one slot in this competition! The win has been celebrated throughout the whole community so in effect this was not just a win for Hope Nursery but a win for the Shankill, Belfast and beyond.”

Tina McCann, MD Nickelodeon UK, said: “We’re delighted that Hope Nursery have been chosen to receive the Help Dora Help award fund, they are worthy winners. From the start of the campaign our aim was to encourage pre-schoolers to explore their worlds, so in addition to making a difference to Hope Nursery, we’re also proud to have worked with so many nurseries and pre-schools across the UK to encourage a sense of adventure in pre-schoolers.”

Jeremy Newton, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts said: “Hope Nursery’s bid was a very compelling and creative proposal and represented an area that will significantly benefit from the award fund.  So we are thrilled they will be able to use the funding to enhance their children’s early learning experiences and development.”