A NURSERY school principal from south Wiltshire has been given the honour of chairing a national conference.

Sue Palmer, who founded Farley Nursery School in Farley six years ago and has since opened a second school in Steeple Langford, was in London yesterday to chair the fourth Nursery World Conference on Outdoor Learning and Play at the ILEC Conference Centre.

Mrs Palmer’s business has won a clutch of awards and its ethos of outdoor play and learning has been held up as a model for educators around the world. The conference featured speakers and delegates from all over the country and topics included creative ideas for outdoor play, training staff, using the natural environment cost effectively and maximising limited space.

Speaking before departing, Mrs Palmer said: “They rang me and asked me to do it.

“I asked whether they would prefer me to speak and they said they wanted me to chair it. I said ‘no’ because I have never chaired anything before, but my son was horrified, so I rang back and said I would do it.

“These people are all passionate about outdoor learning and it will be a wonderful opportunity to network with them all. It will be a wonderful experience.”