A North Tyneside woman’s decades of dedication to early years education is to be rewarded in the New Year’s Honours list.
Nichole Garner is an Early Years Manager at North Tyneside Council who has spent her career striving to achieve the best for each and every child she supports.
Nichole, who has worked for the Council for 39 years, will be honoured with an MBE in 2025 for services to Children and Families.
The honour is an acknowledgement of everything she has achieved and the positive impact she has had on thousands of children’s early lives.
Speaking of the honour she said: “I am so grateful to the council for all of the wonderful opportunities I have been given during my career which have allowed me to continuously develop my knowledge and experience in early years and families and follow my passion of supporting children and families to improve their life chances.”
Nichole, known as Nicki, joined the Council in January 1981 as a Nursery Nurse in Wallsend day Nursery before taking a four-year career break when she had her three children.
She returned to the Council in 1996 to work in Riverside Nursery in North Shields. A nursery she led to receive an outstanding Ofsted rating just last year.
Now working mainly with children under five, she is dedicated to making sure they have the best start in life.
Her infectious passion for her work spreads throughout her teams too. She has committed time to supporting, mentoring and training colleagues on their approach to working with families, something which has created a friendly, supportive culture for those accessing support.
Julie Firth, Director of Children’s Services at North Tyneside Council, praised Nicki’s achievements, saying: “The contribution Nicki has made to hundreds, if not thousands, of children’s lives in North Tyneside is nothing short of inspirational, and I am delighted to see her receive lifelong recognition.
“Her approach to support has been transformational for our services and she has worked tirelessly to advocate for the importance of including the whole family in a child’s early development and that’s something that’s now ingrained in everything we do.
“Nicki’s compassion, commitment and dedication is second to none and I know I speak on behalf of the whole Council when I say that we are extremely proud of this achievement.”
Nicki will be invited to a ceremony at St James’ Palace to receive the award.