IT WAS cheers all round for staff and children at a Preston nursery after they were named the best in Britain.

Headstart Pre-School Centre, in Bow Lane, beat three other nursery hopefuls to win the title of Day Nursery of the Year.

Nursery director Anne Wynn-Jones was greeted with roaring cheers as actress Jacey Salles, better known as nanny Ramona from Cold Feet, presented the award at a special ceremony at the Savoy hotel in London.

Meanwhile, back in Preston, nursery children, parents and staff raised the roof with rapturous applause at 3.30pm after receiving the phone call they had been waiting for all day.

"When they announced our name I thought I was dreaming," said Mrs Wynn-Jones. "My knees were knocking all the way up to the stage and all the time when I was collecting the award. It was nerve-wracking."

The nursery, off Fishergate, which cares for up to 35 children ranging from babies to four-year-olds, was shortlisted for the award run by the National Day Nursery Association.

The competition was open to all day nurseries in the country and Headstart was one of more than 300 to be shortlisted.

Parents of children at the selected nurseries then completed a questionnaire to nominate their child care centres before judges sifted through all the entries.

Each entry was assessed on different criteria including how well staff encouraged children to socialise and how well they were cared for.

Other key areas put under the microscope were play facilities and equipment offered at the nurseries and the opinions of current and previous parents.

Mrs Wynn-Jones, who has worked at the nursery since it opened in 1989, said it was a terrific achievement.

She said: "We do lack a lot of the fancy facilities that other nurseries have so it is great to be recognised for what we do rather than the things we've got.

"This is the first award where the parents have had a direct say in who won so it shows that people are pleased with what we do.

"Hopefully, this award will now allow other parents to have more confidence and come to us."

Nursery manager, Kathleen Moriarty, said: "We were all absolutely over the moon. We couldn't believe it. They heard me screaming at the other end of the building."

Parents, children and staff decked out the nursery with streamers and balloons so they could party at a celebration disco, held at the nursery, last night.

The nursery was awarded £2,000 in prize money and two family holidays, supplied by Mark Warner, the firm which sponsored the competition .

Nigel Ragg, head of marketing at Mark Warner Holidays, said: "Headstart were clear winners and it really wasn't that difficult to choose.

"This award was the first of its kind and we hope it will go on to greater and greater success."