DEDICATED staff from a Droitwich nursery are in the running for a prestigious award after they were short-listed in the top five pre-school teams in the country.

Following an "excellent" Ofsted report in May, Droitwich Spa Nursery & Kindergarten was nominated for the Nursery Team of the Year Award 2004.

Parents sent letters in support of the nomination, commenting on the friendly nature of all 27 members of staff, how well the children are looked after and the relaxed atmosphere at the nursery.

The national entrants were whittled down to just five nurseries, who were invited down to the London Hilton Metropole Hotel last Thursday for interviews with the judges.

The Droitwich Spa team also met some of their fellow finalists on the day.

"The interviews were fairly nerve-racking, but it was nice to meet some of the other teams," said Pam Kay, nursery manager.

"We are all looking forward to the final, which should be a lovely day. It's a whole team thing and, of course, being shortlisted makes everyone here feel really good about themselves. We are absolutely thrilled to bits. It's been fantastic so far."

The Worcester Road nursery looks after 86 children, between the ages of three months and five years.

It has a number of smaller rooms rather than one large one, al-lowing children the opportunity for individual care and attention as well as to mix with other youngsters.

Television personality and comedian Brian Connolly will announce the winners during an Oscar- style awards evening at the London Hilton hotel on Friday, November 26.

"We are delighted to be one of the five finalists in national awards," added Philippa Fell, the nursery's owner.

The competition is run by childcare magazine Nursery Management Today and sponsored by Rio Computers.

Other prizes on the night will include the Nursery Personality of the Year.