AN award-winning Gwent nursery will soon be adding another achievement to its impressive CV, having won an Investors in People award after just 18 months.

Penrhos Private Day Nursery and Out of School Activity Centre, at Caerleon, has enjoyed accelerated growth since being named runner-up in the People Manager of the Year section of training awards organised this year by the ELWa, the National Council for Education and Learning for Wales.

Owner Tracey Stedman said Penrhos, at Ponthir Road, Caerleon, was typical of the need to meet a growing demand for childcare.

"The quality of child care has increased so much," said Mrs Stedman. "The parents around us are so aware of quality and anything less is just not good enough for them. "Parents have a choice now where years ago there was none because you didn't meet mothers who were prepared to look after children while parents worked.

"When my children were young I had to move so that they were in catchment for taking advantage of child care. The government says it wants to get people into work but they can only do this because people like us are there to look after their children."

Based in a former disused council depot on Star Trading Estate, the nursery has increased its staff by five to 25 since the ELWa awards in April has extended the day nursery places and has waiting lists.

The success of Penrhos is typical of the change in lifestyle which has meant more parents both working and a need for nurseries to look after the children in the day. Pemrhos is unusual in that it takes children from birth to aged 14.

Mrs Stedman said lots of help had been received from ElWa (the National Council for Education and Learning for Wales), Newport city council, Newport Early Years Partnership, Clybiau Plant Cymru and the New Opportunies (Lottery) Fund.

" Now, after a lot of hard work from all the staff and G&J Partnership, a training company based in Pontypool we have just achieved the Investor in People standard after only 18 months for our training and development of staff and total quality management of our service," said Mrs Stedman.

"The assessor couldn't believe the work we had done.

"Our staff are fantastic and I am so proud of them all."

Penrhos has received special help from Mrs Stedman's aunt, Anne Sterry, who last week received her MBE from the Queen for her services to children.

Mrs Stedman said the ELWa prize and publicity in the Business Argus had helped the nursery to expand and flourish.

Penrhos will be holding an open evening for all its parents and friends in January at which the Investors in People plaque will be unveiled.