Derbyshire nursery founder Margaret Mason OBE has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Nursery World Awards, recognising her extraordinary contribution to early years education across the UK over more than 70 years.
Margaret, who founded Children 1st Day Nurseries in Long Eaton in 1988, has dedicated her life to giving children the best possible start. From one nursery on Breedon Street in Long Eaton, she built one of the UK’s most respected nursery groups – educating and caring for thousands of children and employing hundreds of people across Derbyshire and beyond.
Many of her nurseries were recognised by Ofsted as Outstanding, a reflection of the high standards and strong values she championed throughout her career.
Alongside running her nurseries, Margaret also played a key role in improving quality across the whole early years sector in the UK. She became the first Chair of the National Day Nurseries Association, helping to raise professional standards and give a national voice to private and voluntary childcare providers.
Her commitment to children and families has been recognised nationally too. In 2017, she was awarded an OBE for Services to Education.
Last year, Margaret completed the sale of the Children 1st group to national nursery provider Storal, ensuring the future of the nurseries she created. She has retained one setting in Derby, Maggie’s Day Nursery and Forest School in Breadsall – which continues her approach to early years education.
Maggie’s is also home to the Margaret Mason OBE Children 1st Trust, a charity Margaret established to support vulnerable children and families across Derbyshire. The Trust helps to provide essentials and emergency childcare to families experiencing hardship, ensuring that every child can access care and learning when they need it most.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Margaret by Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, at a ceremony in London on Saturday 27 September. Paying tribute to her impact, he said Margaret had “a life dedicated to making the lives of others better – and that is a true lifetime achievement.”
Commenting on being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, Margaret Mason OBE said: “I am honoured to have received this award and feel so proud of what we’ve achieved. This award isn’t just mine – it belongs to every member of our team, past and present, who has shared that same passion for giving children the very best start in life.
“When I opened my first nursery, I just wanted to create a place where children could feel happy, safe and inspired to learn. I never imagined it would grow the way it has or touch so many lives.”
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