Leader of the Council, Ambassador and MPs visit Leaping Toads

The work of Leaping Toads Nursery and Activity Centre was recognised this weekend, with a special celebration at its home at Rectory Road, near Dagenham Heathway.

The centre serves many families from different cultural backgrounds from English to Romanian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Albanian, Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, African and Polish communities, making Leaping Toads nursery and activity centre a rich and diverse cultural hub.

During Saturday’s visit, the Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, Darren Rodwell talked of the Borough being a “beacon of inclusion” and how Leaping Toads has been instrumental in bringing together young children and families of different communities through its childcare activities.

Councillor Rodwell greeted and welcomed a Lithuanian delegation to the borough, which included the Ambassador of Lithuania to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Eitvydas Bajarūnas, Dalia Asanaviciute, Member of Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, and Daniel Kawczynski MP of the United Kingdom in his role as Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Group for UK-Lithuania relations.

Rounding off the afternoon, the Director of Leaping Toads Arabella Faratro remarked about the occasion: "I'm delighted to welcome the Leader of the Council, Lithuanian Ambassador and members of the British and Lithuanian Parliament to Leaping Toads. They have always supported our work of teaching children to be proud of their heritage as global citizens, and proud of their local community as young residents of the Borough. Inclusion has always been a top priority for us, and we look forward to opening further childcare settings in the near future enabling even more children of different backgrounds and nationalities and to play, explore, create and learn together."