KIND-HEARTED residents have rallied round after vandals wrecked play equipment at a Little Lever nursery.

They have helped replace equipment damaged when thugs went on the rampage at the Village Pre-School Playgroup, in Mytham Road.

A climbing frame, a wooden reindeer made by a grandparent of one of the youngsters, and football goalposts were damaged in the incident.

The nursery has been inundated with well wishes and offers of replacement toys since the story appeared in the Bolton News and on social media.

The nursery has been given a slide and a pirate ship for the children to play on, which has left nursery manager Keely Wilkinson delighted.

Mrs Wilkinson, who has managed the nursery for 14 years, said: "The reaction has been amazing, it has been absolutely brilliant. The community has really pulled together and supported us after the incident.

"People have offered us toys which their own children have outgrown, which has been really generous of them.

"It is good to have some replacement toys, which they will have a lot of fun with, and will help with their development."

The goalposts damaged when vandals entered the nursery on April 4 have since been temporarily repaired, but the climbing frame and wooden reindeer was irreparably damaged.

Staff were alerted to the damage during the Easter holidays, but only came to realist its full extent when they returned on April 7.

Mrs Wilkinson then reported it to police the following day, but as yet there has been no success in tracing the vandals.

The nursery also had to report the theft of a 4ft metal scarecrow to police in July last year, but it was later found.

It has been open for 37 years, and Mrs Wilkinson previously said the damage to the playground hit the nursery hard, because it is not-for-profit and raises a majority of its funds through charity events.