Margaret Huntington, our founder, has been selected as a finalist for a Lifetime Achievement Award following her death early this year.
Nursery Management Today has posthumously nominated Margaret for the NMT Awards 2018 due to her extensive career and dedication to outstanding childcare, as well as her involvement in forming a national educational software company, LearningBook.
The great-grandmother and business owner sadly died of a degenerative lung condition in January. She was 85 but had once been told she would not live past her 40s. Footprints is continuing to thrive under the guidance of Margaret’s daughter Claire (Operations Director) and son James Huntington (Managing Director), and is also a place two of her grandchildren work.
Claire said: “It is really exciting, mum would be absolutely blown away to be nominated, I can just picture her big smile. She was really passionate and very honest, driven and committed but had a lovely soft warmth to the children and a real empathy.She has a passion for supporting children and giving them the best possible start in life.”
Our Bollington Nursery Manager who started as one of the first Footprint Nursery Nurses under Margaret’s guidance, Rachel Farrugia, said: “We are all incredible proud that Margaret has been selected as finalist for the NMT Nursery Awards – it is a great honour and I’m sure she would be delighted! Margaret played a huge part in making me the person I am today, she believed in me and gave me the confidence to try things I would never have dreamed of, both personally and professionally and I know I am not the only member of Footprints who feels this way. Her passion for childcare and early years is reflected in the both of the nurseries and all the staff at Footprints hope to continue the legacy she has created.”
Winners of the NMT Nursery Awards 2018 will be presented with their trophies by Gethin Jones at the high profile Gala Night held on Saturday 1st December at the London Hilton Metropole.
Read the article in Cheshire Live/Macclesfield Express.
