A Bolton nursery where Peter Kay first met Paddy McGuinness is set to close this summer shortly after its 50th anniversary. Alexandra Nursery in Martha Street has been open since 1973 and generations of the town’s pre-school children have enjoyed their first learning experiences there.
However, the process to close the nursery is set for a final decision next week with Bolton Council and school staff saying the pre-school is unsustainable after numbers of children attending dropped from 171 in 2017/2018 to 75 in 2021/2022. During celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the nursery in 2013, the then head of nursery, Barbara Kenny, spoke about its links to two of Bolton’s most famous celebrity sons.
She said: “When Peter was presented the Royal Variety Show a few years ago he introduced Paddy McGuinness and said that they became friends when they first met at Alexandra Nursery. Last year Peter was back at the nursery taking pictures and I ran out to talk to him and had my picture taken with him.
