When a local pre-school closed, two friends fulfilled a lifelong dream of setting up their own. A year on the Mini Monsters Pre-school has celebrated its anniversary.

When a Pre-School in Medbourne closed, friends and nursery workers Karen Rolfe and Tanya Peay decided to set up their own pre-school to continue to provide a service for the community.

A year later they have 37 children regularly attending Mini Monsters Pre-school at Medbourne Community Sports Pavilion, which is managed by Hertsmere Leisure in partnership with Milton Keynes Council, and three members of staff working alongside them.

Karen said: “Tanya and I met 13 years ago at a Nursery and worked so well next to each other we became very close and our friendship has only got stronger since. I was working for a preschool and had been made redundant because it was closing. As soon as Tanya and I heard the news we thought this was our perfect opportunity for us to make our dreams come true. We contacted the manager of the Medbourne Community Sports Pavilion and booked the viewing straight away. We looked around the Medbourne site, we were so happy the hall was perfect with so much natural lighting and the space around the hall was fantastic.”

After an interview with Ofsted and approval to use the community centre from the council, Mini Monsters Preschool was born.

Karen added: “Mini Monsters Preschool has grown from strength to strength. We had one child on our first day of opening but it didn't take long before more parents came to look around the new preschool and we now have 37 children attend regularly. We've now opened afternoon sessions as word of mouth got round very quickly and we are nearly full in our morning sessions. we both still stand back and look at what we have achieved as we have a hall full of happy content developing children, we’re putting something back into the community which we have always wanted.”

Scott Beattie, Community Centre’s Manager, said: “We congratulate Karen and Tanya on their great success with the Pre-School. This is a great example of how people in the community have given back to the community by providing a service which would have disappeared were it not for their tenacity and aspiration.”