The Pre-School commenced in 1990 as an extension of the Little Lambs Under-2’s Church group run by Esther Ferguson and Barbara Rose Dimmock. Unfortunately, shortly before the Pre-School was due to start, Barbara died and Esther decided to name the new group in memory of her.

It began as a small, informal group held in the Quiet Room at the front of the Church, every Wednesday afternoon. The group comprised of 12 children and 4 helpers. The Church then embarked on a building project and the group was able to move into the new extension. At that time, demand grew and the group increased sessions to three mornings per week, still using parent helpers as voluntary staff.

This scheme continued for several years with the group of parent helpers becoming trained in accredited childcare courses and building into a tightly knit team.

In January 1997 the group was amongst the first in the Bournemouth area to be inspected by OFSTED. The group passed at the highest level in the 2-4 year category.

The group became a registered charity in February 1998.

The Pre-School now holds five morning and five afternoon sessions per week.

Although the Pre-School has evolved significantly from the original group which started at St. Paul's, the underlying links with the Church and its community have never been lost nor diminished. The Pre-School recognises that it is only with the continued faith and trust of the Church community that it has been able to evolve and develop into its current status. Consequently, the involvement of the Church as part of the day-to-day operations of the Pre-School always seems entirely natural and integral to the function of the Pre-School.