Nursery children took part in a chocolate-free egg hunt in the woods for an Easter health awareness event.

Busy Bees Ayr Hospital welcomed the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Jeane Freeman MSP, for the hunt around nearby woodland.

Ms Freeman, who is MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, also joined the nursery team to discuss the importance of physical play in early years. Keeping active has numerous benefits for children’s education and wellbeing, including enhancing confidence and supporting the development of young children’s fine and gross motor skills.

Ms Freeman said: “We want to ensure we instil good habits in our younger generation, giving them the foundation for a healthy lifestyle in years to come. It’s fantastic to see all the work and initiatives that Busy Bees has introduced to promote an active and healthy early years. I’d like to thank the team for such a warm welcome into their nursery.”

The nursery manager gave the MSP a tour around the nursery, which included a newly-installed defibrillator.

Later, Ms Freeman joined the children for a walk to a ‘learning circle’ located near the nursery, where they spent time searching for hidden eggs. After their walk, the children presented Ms Freeman with flowers and a handmade card.

Nursery manager, Eleanor Thomson, said: “Encouraging children to have a healthy mindset is so important and as a nursery we have lots of initiatives that focus around being active. It was great to welcome Ms Freeman into our nursery and give her an insight into the activities we use to promote good health and wellbeing as part of giving children the best start in life.”

For more information about Busy Bees Ayr, please visit busybeeschildcare.co.uk/nursery/ayr or call Eleanor on 01292 268 452.