Children and staff at Mon Ami Children’s Nurseries in Lincolnshire were going for gold when they took part in a national initiative to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

On Wednesday (10^th August) children at the nursery’s four settings across the county donned their fastest trainers and took part in their own mini-Olympics as part of Artie’s Olympics.

Organised by the British Heart Foundation, the fun activity is designed to encourage children to get active and enjoy physical exercise while raising funds for the charity.

Aside from running races, everyone got involved in various games involving beanbags, hula hoops and balloons and took part in an obstacle course to test and develop their balancing skills and team-building abilities.

Staff also generated lots of discussion about the importance of warming up and cooling down before and after any physical activity.

Babies and toddlers joined in by playing games with the parachute and dancing to Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes as well as enjoying musical bumps.

Staff and children at the nursery in Boston even welcomed Matt Meikle as a special guest to host a light workout with the children. Matt is the son of one of the nursery nurses at Mon Ami and is currently undergoing a period of training to become a fully qualified member of the RAF.

All children were provided with sponsorship forms and current total raised is £419.

Samantha Britton, owner of Mon Ami Children’s Nurseries, said: “This is the first time we’d heard of the Artie’s Olympics initiative and what better time to take part than during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games?

“I’ve had some great feedback from all four of our settings and it’s fantastic to see all of the children getting so enthusiastic about each of the different activities. We’re already looking forward to getting involved again next year.”

Alex Talcer, Programme Manager for Artie’s Olympics at the British Heart Foundation, added: “We’d like to thank Mon Ami Children’s Nurseries for arranging an Artie’s Olympics event and raising a fantastic £419 for our life-saving research. Every pound raised will bring us a step closer to beating heart disease.

“Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is so important to help reduce our risk of heart disease, and it’s vital we start at a young age. That’s why we’re calling on other nursery schools to follow in Mon Ami nursery’s footsteps and get involved by holding their own Artie’s Olympics. It’s a great way to get pupils involved in energetic, heart healthy exercise, while having fun and raising money.”

Twenty per cent of the total raised will be donated to Mon Ami Nurseries to fund their activities on the day and to contribute towards keeping the children fit and healthy throughout the year.

Notes to editors:
• Mon Ami Children’s Nurseries are based in Boston, Swineshead, Alford and Wragby and provide outstanding childcare and education for children aged between six weeks and eight years old.
• Mon Ami offers a flexible, fully inclusive service weekdays from 7am to 6.30pm across all settings for 51 weeks of the year.
• In addition, Mon Ami also runs Monti’s Children’s Club from its Alford and Swineshead sites, providing before and after-school and holiday care for children aged between four and 11 years.
• Mon Ami is owned by Samantha and Jarrod Britton and opened its first nursery in Swineshead in 2002.
• To find out more visit www.monaminurseries.co.uk
• Like Mon Ami Nurseries on Facebook or follow on Twitter @monaminurseries

For media information please contact:
Jez Ashberry
Shooting Star
01522 528540
jez@weareshootingstar.co.uk
@jezashberry
[MonAmi04ArtiesOlympics]