A NURSERY in Altrincham has been awarded a quality mark for excellence in paediatric first aid.

Children’s wellbeing has always been a priority at Juice Nursery, with all staff fully trained in first-aid.

Now, the staff have gone above and beyond that and have been awarded a Millie’s Mark.

Guidelines currently state that childcare settings in England are required have just one person with a current paediatric first aid certificate available at all times.

Millie's Mark is awarded as a special endorsement to childcare providers that go above and beyond these minimum requirements by having 100 per cent of staff trained in paediatric first aid.

The scheme was created through Millie's Trust, set up by the parents of Millie Thompson, who died after choking on food at a nursery in 2012 when she was just nine months old.

The charity works in association with the Department for Education and is administered by the National Day Nurseries Association.

The process of accreditation takes between three to six months, and as well as ensuring all staff are trained, are required to complete a detailed audit and risk assessment, demonstrating that they have well-deployed first aid processes.

Lesley Wilson, manager of Juice Nursery, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded Millie's Mark. This is a special achievement and shows how serious we are about ensuring children are safe within our care."

The nursery believes that everyone should have a basic knowledge of first aid and recently hosted a free workshop for parents, led by Paul Green of First Responder.

In addition, through their 'Have a Heart' fundraising appeal, Juice raised enough money to purchase an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), located on the corner of Shaw's Road, on Altrincham's Market House, so that in case of emergency members of the local community, as well as the nursery, might have access to potentially life saving equipment.