You'll probably find Britain's first outdoors nursery

Scotland might not be the first place you'd think to open Britain's first alfresco children's nursery. However, a £10,000 lottery grant has ensured that Fife will be the location for the country's first kindergarten which is located entirely outdoors, in a wood, with no buildings whatsoever.

Childminder Cathy Bache was given the money by the lottery-funded Awards For All scheme. The funds will be used to set up a kindergarten for up to 24 children in the area surrounding Monimail Tower in Fife. The Secret Garden nursery has also been pledged £20,000 by an anonymous donor.

Asked how the children will cope during the winter, Ms Bache tells The Guardian: 'We've recently had two full days with seven hours of solid rain, and the kids don't bat an eyelid. As soon as it rains heavily here, there's a stream comes down the wee road outside - they build dams on it. They loved it. When it gets particularly cold we light a bonfire and play running around games. In February we were out all day in minus six and the children were perfectly happy. I thought, if I can stay out in this, we can stay out in anything.'

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