A NEW wooden ‘pirate ship’ has been built in The Old Station Nursery’s garden at The Oxford Science Park.

The nursery opened its doors at the park following a £100,000 refurbishment of the building in January.

The wooden ship is part of the nursery’s additional £1,000 investment in an outdoor play area, allowing children to enjoy the outdoors and learn at the same time.

Nursery manager Ramona Kantschuster said: “Learning through play is a vital part of child development and enables children to explore the world and acquire new skills.

“Our new pirate ship has been a huge hit with the children and offers a holistic outdoor learning experience, enhancing children’s imagination, creativity, and the way they interact with each other.

“We are so lucky to have the outdoor space within the nursery and the new pirate ship enhances what we offer to our children in our garden.

“But also, we can explore the park and its natural environment.

“People on the park often see us out and about admiring the changes in seasons or feeding the ducks - the children always come back wide-eyed and full of fresh air.”

Piers Scrimshaw-Wright, managing director of The Oxford Science Park, who welcomed the new ship with youngsters at the nursery last week, said: “The new pirate ship is another positive addition to the nursery. Congratulations to Ramona and her team for creating such an inspiring and happy place where the children are obviously thriving.”

The nursery serves 72 children.