Playing in the sandpit and mud cookery were just two of the options on the menu when a Helston nursery reopened recently following refurbishment.

The Lizard Child Trust centre had its very own Grand Designs moment over the summer as contractors descended to rebuild the outside, design and landscape the garden area and create a new baby and toddler room.

To celebrate, the children and staff, as well as Graham Tenby, chair of the board of trustees, were joined by the teams who carried out the work from R&R Fascias, IH Builders, and Kernow Garden Solutions for a grand reopening.

Tracey Griffiths, training and development manager at the trust, said: "We're just overjoyed with the work that they have done. Now we feel that the outside of the building reflects the quality of the education and care provided on the inside.

"It was such a positive event, everyone was pleased.

"The children hadn't used the garden, it was open to them for the first time, and the excitement to go and use this garden that they have been watching develop was just fantastic."

The next step for the group is to relocated the staff from a tiny office used during renovation work, and next year there are plans to have the pre-school room renovated.

The trust is a charitable organisation, and as well as applying for grant funding it runs fundraising events to cover the cost of building works, wit the next event, a Hallowe'en 'Spook-tacular', to be held at the Penrose Estate on October 30.