FROM policemen and paramedics, to firemen and farmers, a group of aspiring toddlers raided the dressing-up box, as part of Save the Children’s ‘I Want to Be...’ campaign.

Pre-schoolers from the Village Nursery in Trafford Park spent the week dressed up as the person they’d like to be when they grow up, while helping to raise money for the international children’s charity.

They included four-year-old Lyra Limbert, pictured in her nurse’s uniform with her patient - nursery nurse Louise Chantler - and paramedic Carl Southern.

In addition, the children enjoyed a series of activities based around the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), including self confidence and self awareness, people and communities and making relationships. The toddlers were also treated to a number of special visits from parents, who explained about their job roles.

Julie Lightley, owner of The Village Nursery and early years specialist, said: “We all dreamed as children about what we wanted to be when we grew up. The Save the Children campaign is a fantastic way of bringing that to life, while helping the children to understand through play about the world, communication and language, as well as personal, social and emotional development.”

Sponsorship raised from the ‘I Want to Be...’ campaign will be used by the charity to train health workers to diagnose illness and treat sick children; build water pumps, providing whole communities with clean, safe water; and set up supervised children’s centres after disasters, to enable them to learn and play.

Julie added: “The toddlers have enjoyed fun and engaging activities throughout the week, raising vital funds for less-fortunate children. The ‘I Want to Be...’ campaign is a great way to support an extremely worthy cause, while fitting perfectly with our ethos of playful learning.

“The rich developmental experiences, wrapped up in entertaining activities, have proved to be a real hit with all of the children.”