THERE was no rough, but some tumble, when a Bury nursery group’s annual charity event was held, involving more than 600 excited children.

Thanks to a week-long sponsored “dressing up” event, the Mulberry Bush Nursery Group has raised more than £6,000 to be split between the Good Life Orphanage (GLO) and Liverpool-based Alder Hey Children’s Charity.

Children at the company’s nurseries in Tottington, Whitefield, Walshaw and Walmersley joined in the fun, with youngsters at the nursery in Kirklees Street, Tottington, receiving a visit from TV character Mr Tumble.

Paul Robinson, Mulberry Bush Nursery Group director, said: “We’ve held an annual charity event for the last 24 years, raising more than £85,000 for 45 different charities.

“The GLO is in Mombasa, Kenya, and was established by and continues to be maintained and run by a Bury couple, Mary and Kevin Maguire.

“We have set up ongoing links with the GLO so we can see exactly how the money is helping. Each nursery also provides ongoing monetary support by ‘sponsoring’ a child at the orphanage.”

He added: “Alder Hey Children’s Charity supports the hospital which sees 270,000 young patients and their families every year.

“Molly Denney, who recently attended our Tottington nursery, was admitted to Alder Hey Hospital in May to undergo a painful procedure to lengthen her leg.

“Molly suffers from proximal femoral focal deficiency, a rare birth defect which means her left femur is much shorter than her right.”

The fundraising week was overseen by around 100 nursery team members.

The family-run nursery group, originally launched by John and Sue Robinson, looks after 600 children and all four nurseries are currently rated “outstanding” by Ofsted.

The nurseries are very much a family affair, as all three of John and Sue’s children now own and run the business. Joanne, Paul and Andrew are all childcare qualified and have young children of their own.