A BUMPER donation to Bushy Leaze Family and Children’s Centre raised by this year’s Alton Burn’s Supper has helped buy something special for the centre’s smallest toddlers – a live willow tunnel for them to wander through and experience nature growing around them!

A cheque for £700, the largest raised so far by the town’s annual Burns Night celebration, was handed over last week to Bushy Leaze representative Ann Blackman by Burns Supper chairman Alison Tubman.

After inspecting the newly-planted willow tunnel, Alison and her fellow committee members, Fiona Sinclair and former Bushy Leaze headteacher Luath Grant Ferguson, were unanimous in their approval of the choice of something living and growing for the children to enjoy.

“It’s so beautifully made and such a lovely shape,” said Alison, “that it’s quite hard to remember it’s not made for grown-ups like me. It really makes you want to walk through it and enjoy that sense of mystery.

“When the spring comes and the leaves start to appear, the children are going to have a real sense of the magic of things growing. It’s wonderful!”

Having visited the facilities offered by Bushy Leaze, the visitors were able to see the new willow tunnel as another vital piece of sensory equipment which helps to make the support provided by Bushy Leaze to Alton’s young children second to none.

Thanking the Burns Supper committee for the donation, Ann said the sum matched precisely what was needed to create the groundwork, planting and shaping of the willow tunnel.

“The tunnel fits in so well with what we seek to provide for our youngest children,” she said.

“It is sure to give great pleasure to our children as well as encourage their confidence and willingness to explore.”