HELEN Jackson has been named head of The Ark Pre-School, which is due to open its doors at the start of the new school year in September.

She has more than seven years experience of teaching in a primary school setting.

The mum-of-four children aged from two to eight, she currently sits on the governing body of Liphook infant and junior schools and was until recently the family pastor at St Mary’s Bramshott and Liphook Church Centre, who have appointed her.

The Ark Pre-School is an exciting development for the parish.

In 2016, the increasing demand for nursery places led East Hampshire District Council to approach the Anglican church in Liphook, with a view to the Church Centre being used as the home of a new pre-school.

The church has since embraced this challenge, with local Christians having worked together to create a bright, child-friendly and exciting environment.

Over the last six months, the existing building has been extensively modernised to specifically cater for the new venture, and The Ark will be officially opened on Thursday, September 7, by the Right Reverend Christopher Foster, the Bishop of Portsmouth.

The project has grown out of a desire for the village’s Anglican church to serve the community in meaningful, practical ways. The Ark will now provide much-needed additional nursery school places for children aged three and four, as well as employment for experienced children’s workers.

Helen said this week: “I am so excited to be taking on this new role, in a community I already love being a part of. Children of all faiths and none will be warmly welcome at The Ark, and I am looking forward to building a new team of passionate people to nurture and encourage them.

“We believe every child is made in the image of God – and our desire is The Ark is a place where they experience his abundant love and welcome.” She added: “I want children to develop a love of learning, and I strongly believe in a child-led approach, building on their natural curiosity about the world around them.

“We will be focusing on play-based activities to promote excitement about trying new things, and championing a culture of listening to each other, as we help the children to understand that their feelings and opinions truly matter.”

Rev Valentine Inglis-Jones, vicar of Bramshott and Liphook and a trustee of the new pre-school, told The Herald: “Our church is rooted in the centre of our community, and the launch of The Ark gives us a wonderful opportunity to support families of all shapes and sizes.

“Over the last year, it’s been wonderful to see people from across the church working together to make The Ark happen.

“And now, alongside the other brilliant pre-schools in Liphook, we want to help give children in this parish the very best start in life.

“As the Bible amply demonstrates, Jesus cares very deeply about children – and we do, too!”

Helen studied music at the University of York, graduating with a first-class degree in 2005.

She then trained as a primary school teacher, gaining a post-graduate certificate in education from London’s Institute of Education, in 2006.

Helen (below) taught in inner-city state primaries for seven years, before moving from London to Liphook with her husband and two young children, in 2012.

Since then, she has had two more children and joined the governing body of Liphook Infant and Junior Schools in 2014.

Until earlier this year, she was the church’s family pastor, responsible for supporting and nurturing children – and their families – within the church community.

The Ark Pre-School is overseen by a group of trustees, drawn from across the church, who have the required combined experience in good governance, education and financial planning.

Practical and financial provision for The Ark has been provided by the Parochial Church Council (PCC). The Ark will have a Christian ethos, but has made it clear families of all faiths – and those without one – will be equally welcome when it opens.

The church is part of the Deanery of Petersfield and the Diocese of Portsmouth.

The PCC has founded a Charitable Incorporate Organisation Foundation to run the pre-school which will be a non-profit making charity.

Earlier this year, Hampshire county councillor Floss Mitchell was able to make a contribution of £2,000 to the project, which is a parish church initiated response to a lack of nursery provision in the local community.

Proposals for remodelling the Church Centre, which received planning permission from East Hampshire District Council last year, also fitted in with plans for creating space for the new nursery.

Churchwarden Paul Arnold put together the proposals for the refurbishment of the Church Centre, which was built originally in 1970, with The Ark added in the mid 1980s and the Chapel, Link and kitchen extensions in the mid 2000s.

Mr Arnold was senior project manager for the Highways Agency involved in building the Hindhead Tunnel before he retired.

The Ark will be holding open mornings on June 14 and June 24. Applications for the pre-school are now open.

For more details, visit thearkliphook.co.uk. Alternatively, parents and carers can register their interest by e-mailing [email protected].