Our nanny Vera, has been with us since our first child turned one. He's now - unbelievably - about to start secondary school, and our second child is heading towards ten. Vera is part of our family and we are still keeping her one day a week. She has a natural affinity with young children - when we first interviewed her she was immediately down on the floor playing. There's been a lot of laughter over the years - I work from home regularly so can hear! She is reliable and flexible if things change at the last minute. Great with craft activities, especially around Christmas, Easter and Halloween and keen to do outings and excursions during the holidays. No-nonsense and clear with boundaries - so we've always felt the children were safe. A great cook and keen baker, and can adapt to accommodate dietary needs or preferences. Adept at handling multiple youngsters or twins (Vera started with us as a nanny share, looking after two one year olds, and has done a nanny share with another young family one day a week since then). Ofsted registered, DBS checked, has an Qfqual Diploma, food hygiene certificate and up to date first aid training. All in all we feel incredibly lucky that our children have had kind and consistent care from the same nanny throughout their lives.