CONGRATULATIONS to the staff of the Co-operative Childcare Centres at Great Western Hospital and in Shrewsbury Road, Walcot.

As we reveal today, they have taken second and third place for the region in a study by a specialist website.

When one considers that they were among a field of 1,048, the achievement is a truly remarkable one. It is also testament to the tireless dedication of all those who work to make the centres the best they can possibly be for users.

Too many stories about centres of care, both nationally and locally, involve places being found wanting.

This might be because they really are wanting or because they have fallen foul of the latest apparently random change to official assessment criteria.

Being able to report such a remarkable success is therefore a great pleasure.

Crucially, the accolades given to the centres at Great Western Hospital and in Walcot are not the result of formal inspections but rather of assessments given by the adults whose children use the services.

These are the people who see the centres in operation every day, and whose opinions are therefore to be trusted. The internet is sometimes said to be a filled with less than useful information, but websites such as the one making these awards demonstrate people power in action.

We would like to see the two successful local centres become beacons of inspiration for others in the area, As a representative of the website pointed out, the first five years of a child’s life are vital in shaping the adult they will become, which is why it decided to recognise the best.

Long may the successes continue.