Nursery staff have been praised for confounding predictions that a disabled Wigan toddler would never walk

Chester Waterworth was born after a normal pregnancy, but at just four months old required surgery for a floppy larynx at Manchester Children’s Hospital. From that point on, his development was significantly delayed. He is non-verbal and has required feeding via a tube.

There were also concerns about a possible underlying genetic condition contributing to his delays.

Chester initially attended a mainstream nursery from the age of one, but it quickly became clear that the setting was not equipped to meet his needs.

That changed when he joined Hope Nursery, a mainstream nursery linked to Hope School.

Although not a specialist provision, the nursery has access to specialist equipment and highly trained staff. It was here that Chester began working closely with two key practitioners: Katie Unsworth and Shelley Marston.

Chester’s mum Kim Waterworth said their impact has been nothing short of transformational.

She said: “Through their perseverance, they’ve got him walking. They’ve also helped him to eat orally.

"He would not eat for me at all, which is why he has the NG tube, but with them he started trying yoghurts. Now he eats yoghurts daily. That’s purely down to their patience, consistency and belief in him.”

Chester also gained the confidence and skills needed to move into the nursery’s pre-school room: another milestone his family never thought possible.

Kim added: “I genuinely never thought he’d get this far. It’s very clear that this is because of the help and support they’ve given him.”

The dedication of Katie and Shelley extends well beyond their professional roles. In a gesture that deeply moved Chester’s family, the pair volunteered to attend Kim’s wedding in November caring for Chester throughout the entire day.

Kim said: “In summer Katie came to me and said, ‘it's nice to be nice, and me and Shelley want to come to your wedding to look after Chester for you’.

"So they attended the full day, and they did the ceremony, the meal, the night time, and just cared for Chester so that we could enjoy our day without having to worry about him.

“We've got family members, but no one knows him as well as they do.

"I was really touched, as were all my family and my friends, because it's just a lovely thing, at the end of the day they don't need to do that. They don't get paid for it.

"Obviously I got them flowers and things to say thank you, but it's obvious they don't just do it because it's a job, they do it because they genuinely love what they do.

“The nursery doesn’t get enough recognition for what they do.

"At the end of the day, they’ve really helped my son — and that’s something I’ll never be able to thank them enough for.

"The care that they put into the job and their kids is just remarkable.”