PUPILS at a west Dorset pre-school can now enjoy making messy creations after the opening of a 'mud kitchen'.

St Michael's Pre-school in Lyme Regis opened the new facility after a local chef kindly donated all the materials and constructed the mud kitchen.

Andy Hopkins wanted to add to the children's learning and enjoyed creating the new piece. He said seeing the pupils enjoying the mud kitchen was rewarding.

He said: "It was an absolute pleasure to have done this for the pre-school and to see the enjoyment of the children's faces made it so worthwhile.

"I really hope they all continue to enjoy and benefit from the kitchen for many years to come."

The mud kitchen includes an oven, shelving for storage, along with mixing bowls, hooks and pegs for the utensils - and a sink.

The youngsters can now make mud pies and other messy creations, and it gives them an opportunity to copy how they see adults behaving in the kitchen, as well as improving communication and problem solving.

Leader of St Michael's Pre-school Jenny Bull said the staff were 'so grateful' for their 'fantastic' mud kitchen.

She said: "The children are so engrossed in their play while they weigh and measure their muddy creations and potions. It is fantastic to see.

"Within this role play, they mimic what they have seen before and how adults behave. They communicate with each other, solve situations such as taking turns and explore a multitude of sensory materials sich as soil, sand and water.

"They have recipe books available and can write their 'ingredients' on accompanying clipboards and notebooks. We are all so grateful for what Andy has done for our pre-school."

The pre-school also enjoyed their harvest celebrations at St Michael's Church in Lyme Regis on Sunday. Pupils have also enjoyed visiting the library where they were read stories about the harvest.