A NEW pre-school has seen a successful first two weeks since its opening.

Serendipity nursery, based on Willow Road, Darlington, expanded its services to Heighington after its pre-school closed in July.

The new pre-school was officially opened by Ofsted on Monday, September 17 and has seen numbers grow steadily over its first weeks.

Sam Donkin, who runs Serendipity alongside her daughter, Nicole, said the process of settling in has been going well.

She said: "With all the children being new we have been bringing them in gradually. Some have started a few hours at a time or playing while parents are around.

“We had a session where the children brought in pictures of their family to help them settle in and introduce themselves to each other."

At the moment the pre-school has been focusing on seasonal activities including creating a harvest hamper to donate to the elderly.

Mrs Donkin added: “The children have been out and about around the village on walks. Some of them have come here from Darlington to do some outdoor sessions. We plan on doing a lot more stuff outdoors once we’ve got settled.

“We have been making a collection for harvest festival to take to the church, and we have been doing harvest activities with farm role-playing and animal props.

“The messages we have got from people living in the village were amazing. It’s been really positive.”

Serendipity are also planning on opening a third nursery on Neasham Road, Darlington, after Rose Dene nursery suddenly closed leaving children there without a school.