The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Happy ending to hunt after youngster went missing from nursery
“This
was a very unfortunate incident which staff handled admirably
Police were called in to search for a three-year-old child who went missing from a Fife nursery. The youngster wandered off from the Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery as children were playing in woodland at Letham, near Cupar, last Monday.
Locals said sniffer dogs were involved in the hunt for the child, who police said was found safe and well half-an-hour after the alarm was raised.
The nursery is entirely outdoors, run with children cared for in the 25-acre woodland it uses on the edge of village.
Worried staff called in police when they were unable to find the child, who had earlier been playing with friends in the forest.
One local told The Courier: “Letham was swarming with police and sniffer dogs as one of the kids from the Secret Garden had wandered off.
“Everyone was quite worried.”
It is understood the child was found “quite near” the nursery.
The nursery is accessed beside Letham Primary School in School Brae.
A statement issued by the nursery said: “This was a very unfortunate incident which the staff handled admirably, following all our procedures.
“Our community have been very supportive and we are working with the Care Inspectorate to mitigate future risk.”
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Around 2.15pm on Monday April 19, police in Cupar received a report of a missing threeyear-old in the Letham area.
“Officers attended and the child was found safe and well around 2.45pm on the same day.”
When it opened in 2008, the establishment was Scotland’s first fullyoutdoor nursery.
It has a yurt and tents in the forest but uses Letham Village Hall in extreme weather conditions.
Following its last visit by the Care Inspectorate, the nursery was rated as very good.
Inspectors noted during a previous visit that staff had communicated with each other across the woodland using walkie-talkies.