‘Proud day’ for Boothby Pagnell nursery as children relish chance to meet Prime Minister during Lincolnshire General Election campaign visit

Nursery children enjoyed their time in the spotlight after welcoming Prime Minister Rishi Sunak along for a visit.

National and local media — including this paper — went along to the Great Wood Farm Early Years Centre in Boothby Pagnell on Monday (June 17) as it opened its doors to Mr Sunak, energy security and net zero minister Claire Coutinho and Gareth Davies, Conservative candidate for the Grantham and Bourne seat.

The centre says it is politically impartial but welcomed the ‘wonderful opportunity’ to showcase its work.

Nursery manager Kate Robinson said: “It was a fantastic experience and the children were amazing, they welcomed the visitors and told the prime minister what they were busy doing, involving him in their play.”

Mr Sunak toured the nursery and helped to plant a pumpkin. He joined the children in collecting and counting eggs and feeding the goats. He visited a forest school base camp and saw the children light a fire, cook bread and go on a minibeast hunt.

The eagle-eyed PM even stopped to help tie a child’s shoelaces when he saw they were undone.

Kate added: “Rishi was very interested in our setting and was amazed at our facilities, commenting he wished he could turn back time and have his children attend, and that he didn’t realise nurseries could be like this. Walking away from the woods, he commented how competent a six year old girl was at whittling.”

Director Charlotte Littler said: “It was so lovely to shine a spotlight in early years and have the Prime Minister visit the area. Rishi came across as very interested in learning about what we do here, it certainly was a proud day!”

While at the school, Mr Sunak was also questioned by journalists on the A1, Lincolnshire's roads, solar farms, and RAF Scampton — key General Election topics in the county.

In Lincoln, he and Claire Coutinho joined Conservative Karl McCartney on a tour of PK Automotive Solutions, where he met apprentices and factory workers.

Later in the day, he visited a gas rig in the North Sea and concluded with a Conservative rally in Cambridge.

The candidates for the Grantham and Bourne seat are:

• Vipul Bechar (Labour)

• Gareth Davies (Conservative)

• Anne Gayfer (Green)

• Alexander Mitchell (Social Democratic Party)

• Charmaine Morgan (Lincolnshire Independents)

• Mike Rudkin (Reform)

• Ian Selby (Independent)

• John Vincent (Liberal Democrats)