Local Assembly Member Paul Davies AM joined a group of Pembrokeshire registered childminders who arranged a Picnic in the Park to celebrate National Childminding Week, last Friday. The theme of this year's event was 'aspiration' reflecting the fact that registered childminders and nannies are uniquely placed to nurture interests and build on the future aspirations of the children in their care.

Paul Davies said: "I would like to thank the National Childminding Association (NCMA) and Pembrokeshire County Council for inviting me to the picnic last Friday. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet childminders and to really understand how important they are to our local communities. Childminders play a significant role in the lives of the children that they care for and their families and their work should be commended."

"We must ensure that there are consistent planning policies in Wales with regard to childminding and that the Welsh Government fully supports this important sector. I will continue to work closely with NCMA Cymru in the future and help ensure that the voices of childminders are heard across the Assembly Chamber."

Richard Jones, Acting Director NCMA Cymru added "What a great day in sunny Pembrokeshire to celebrate National Childminding Week - children and their childminders having a fun musical time. We know that childminding is one of the best forms of Childcare for children, and what often isn't appreciated is how many childminders there are working day to day, especially in rural communities. I want to thank Paul Davies, AM for his support at this event, and NCMA Cymru hopes all AMs will support our calls for childminding to be recognised and used to help the Welsh Government to meet its child poverty targets but more importantly to allow many more children in Wales to aspire to fulfilled lives."