A SOON-to-be opened day nursery is celebrating after being awarded more than £90,000 in lottery grants.

Hocus Pocus Day Nursery Limited -- which the owners hope to open in June on Radcliffe Road -- has been awarded £94,300 by the good cause National Lottery distributors, the New Opportunities Fund.

The cash will be used to create 50 nursery places by extending and adapting the existing building.

Mia Kilburn, a co-owner in the family-owned business, said: "We are using the money to make sure the building is up to scratch for new regulations in 2004. There's going to be a lift and ramps to all areas making all levels of the building accessible for adults and children in wheelchairs."

At the nursery, Mia added, there will be high standards of play equipment. Outside there will be climbing frames and soft play flooring while inside, there will be a soft play area and a room with slides and ball pools. There will be places for 60 children.

In all, six capital grants totalling £888,805 have been awarded across the North-west, bringing lottery funding to create new nursery provision in the region to more than £3.7 million, thanks to the New Opportunities Fund's Building Neighbourhood Nurseries programme.