A YOUNG north Cumbrian girl has used the power of words to uplift the members of her grandmother’s nursery.

Tilly Algie, age eight, penned a powerful message of hope for all those with children at the Kiddly Winks Nursery in Penrith.

Her grandmother, Karen James, who runs the nursery, turned to Tilly for some uplifting words when she decided to put together a video for her nursery families, to help keep their spirits up during the coronavirus lockdown.

“Quite a lot of our families work in the NHS and shops, so are key workers carrying on to support our communities,” Karen said.

“I was trying to find the right words to sum up the surreal and frightening situation we’re all faced with now, but I just couldn’t find the right words.

“My eight-year-old granddaughter Tilly wants to be a performer, and I asked her to write a poem.”

Taking to the challenge with enthusiasm, Tilly had quickly put together a poem perfectly capturing the spirit of the situation, and the importance of staying connected in these strange times.

Reading it to her grandmother over online video chat, Tilly asked if anything in her poem should be changed.

“I said I didn’t want her to change a thing,” Karen said.

“It’s an extremely emotional video. She spoke from the heart.

“The families from our nursery have sent through so many lovely messages.

“We do consider ourselves a family - so it’s especially strange that we have to be separated.”

Tilly and her family are currently “shielding” - following an extra-strict form of self-isolation, on account of her five-year-old brother Hugie.

“Her little brother can be quite poorly,” Karen said.

She added that it was vital to stay as connected as possible when families are separated into individual households.

“People are very isolated at the moment. Digital connection is not the same as having people around you, but it is still a reminder that we’re not alone.

“The simple things help uplift people.”

Karen’s nursery, Kiddly Winks, has 28 staff across two sites in Penrith.

It has been temporarily closed while a number of staff have had to resort to self-isolation.

“A few staff have health issues,” Karen said.

“As soon as we’re able to be back up and running, we want to reopen to provide for our families who are key workers.”

Karen added she was hoping to be able to reopen at some point this week.

She said that people were understandably worried, but that there was hope and positivity still to be found in this difficult situation.

“Its such a serious situation, but sometimes it takes an open little mind, who doesn’t see it in quite such a complicated way, to find the positives in a time like this.”