THE founder of a family nursery business has been awarded a prestigious lifetime achievement award for her services to the industry.

Gail Clifford, 57, from Burnley, who founded the First Class Childcare Group, came away with the top award at the Nursery Management Today Awards 2012 held in London.

Having struggled to access flexible early years care for her two children, Gail opened her first nursery in Nelson with three qualified staff and five children in 1984.

Twenty-eight years later First Class Childcare now cares for over 700 children and employs 150 staff at nine locations in Lancashire and Yorkshire, including Whalley and Accrington. The judges praised Gail for her passion to professional and compassionate childcare and education, as well as her steadfast commitment to staff training and development.

Gail said: “Being presented with the lifetime achievement award really is the icing on the cake to what has been a very blessed career. I have enjoyed and treasured all the relationships I have built with children, families, staff and colleagues across the years.

“Although I have seen many changes throughout my 30-year career I have always stayed true to the original ethos of the company, which is ‘children come first’, and seeing a child’s happy smiling face was all I needed to know that I was doing something right.

“I want to thank my wonderful team of staff, my husband for all his support, and our son Andrew and his wife Emma, who are taking First Class Childcare on the next step of the journey.”

Staff have praised her passion and said she has been inspirational to staff. Gail retired this year and handed the reins over to her son Andrew.