A PLAYGROUP celebrating its 50th anniversary is searching for the woman who founded the group.

St Peter’s (Thundersley) Preschool wants to find founder Pat Ingram after they retraced their history to mark the group’s anniversary, which they will celebrate in September.

However, the group, which has 38 youngsters aged between two-and-a-half and five, only has limited information to go on.

Manager Lorraine Stamp said: “We are looking for the lady, Pat Ingram, who started it and it would be lovely to have some of our earliest attendees.

“We were known as the Village Playgroup back then and it was in the Old School near Kenneth Road.

“The story I’ve been told is Pat was a teacher and had a child.

Because she was used to being so busy she felt isolated at home, so she started the group for other local mums.”

St Peter’s Church took the group under its wing in the Eighties, formalising it as a business with committee members.

The group has released photos from the Sixties, hoping to jog people’s memories as it tries to piece together its history.

The anniversary will be celebrated on Sunday, September 7, at St Peter’s Church Hall, in Church Road, with a service and party for parents, and playgroup members past and present. Mrs Stamp said: “We are finding things to do, linking it back to the pictures, and are building up a picture of the pre-school as it has changed over the years.

“We also hope to put together a small booklet of pictures and stories.

“I started in 1995 after sending my littlest to school. I thought it would be a good way to get back into the swing of things, and I’m still here.”

If you have any memories, pictures, or stories, contact Lorraine by emailing stpeter spreschool@sky.com or 01268 774 205.