WELL-worn toys that have been used since the formation of Welland Pre-School group will be replaced with up-to-the minute equipment, thanks to a Lottery grant.

"We are really pleased to have got the maximum grant of £5,000 from Awards for All. It's amazing," said treasurer Janet Hutchings.

"We've got a list three pages long of all the new, exciting toys we would like.

"In fact, we could spend £8,000 if we bought everything on our original list. The toys we have got have been well-loved, but it is time many of them were replaced with new ones to stimulate the children's imagination and encourage creative learning."

The Pre-School group, which meets on weekdays in Welland Primary School, caters for 26 children, with up to 16 per session.

On the shopping list are outdoor bikes, tactile balancing shapes that can be used like stepping stones, tractors, diggers, jigsaws, construction toys, hand puppets and dressing-up clothes.

"There are also some large books that can be read to groups, with puppets to help tell the story and story-telling boards with stick-on characters, so the children can add them as you tell the story," said Mrs Hutchings.

"We are reviewing the list now and the toys should start arriving after half-term."