YOUNG buccaneers had the chance to walk the plank in a day of swashbuckling fun on Saturday as Busy Bees Nursery hosted a pirate day.

The Peatmoor centre hold their fun day every year in aid of a different charity and this year, proceeds raised on the day from a cake sale, raffle and other pirate-themed activities will be donated to Meningitis Now.

While the nursery is still counting up every last penny, manager Lucy Hitt said she was over the moon by how many parents turned out to support the centre.

“We are not only trying to raise money for the charity but also raise awareness of meningitis and make sure parents know about it while also having some fun,” Lucy said.

“The staff have been able to let their hair down and get dressed up and it is all for a good cause.

“The children love dressing up anyway and we thought we would go with a pirate theme this time around. Dressing up is part of the children’s learning and role play is important to them understanding a lot of things so we try to get professionals in like firemen to come in and explain to them about their roles when we can.”

As well as the staff dressing head to toe in pirate attire, many of the children came dressed to impress – each one eager to get through the doors to get stuck into a number of exciting games from a treasure hunt to a donut challenge.

Eleanor Thompson, 33, brought along her three children, twins Zoe and Rosie, five and Amy, three – all of whom have been pupils at the nursery.

“I’m pretty sure we have been to every single summer and Christmas fete in one form or another because the kids love it,” she said.

“Zoe and Rosie started when they were about 16 months old and so Amy recognised everyone's faces before she started.”

With 150 children on roll, the nursery has gone from strength-to-strength over the years – something which Lucy believes is testament to the number of people who attended on Saturday.

“It is really nice for parents to come back on the weekend and support the event especially if they are new to the area. We try to make this day about interacting with them and encouraging the parents to get to know one another as well.”