IT'S not often that a little people's project is way over the head of a bank manager.

That, happily, is the case at the Easingwold branch of Barclays where the Wooden Horse private nursery school has moved in on the upper floor.

While downstairs Barclays staff tot up the cash, upstairs Kate Willink and Barbara Birdsall cash up the tots.

It all happened when the two women were seeking financial backing plus help to find premises for their business start-up from Robert Pollock, the local business manager for Barclays in Ryedale.

"Why not move into the seven-room flat above our branch in Chapel Lane?" he asked them. Once used by managers, the premises had been empty for two years.

And that - yes, with cash backing they secured too - is just what the partners did (with branch manager Gareth Scott helping his new upstairs neighbours to effect the move.)

Now, with a £10,000 conversion, the kindergarten and nursery is under way with 25 children aged between zero and five immediately registering for the 38 places.

There are two kindergarten areas for the under two's, plus two large rooms and nursery school in three inter-linked rooms as well as an office. There is a laundry and bathrooms and kitchen have all been converted.

They also have use of a garden which they have turned into a busy play area with climbing frames, Wendy house, adventure play area, sandpit, picnic tables and footballs.

Kate and Barbara's business partnership began as a friendship. Kate, a former management accountant, met Barbara a teacher, when Barbara taught Kate's young daughter Sophie at pre-school. It was Kate who originally realised that her business background combined with Barbara's teaching skills were ideal for running a children's' nursery.

Barbara, whose husband, Trev, a retired primary school teacher, is also involved in the business, interrupted story-telling to say: "We already look after the child at one of the Barclays staff at the branch and our research suggests that while we have six staff now we will soon have ten, including a housekeeper once all the places are taken.

"This flat was just what we needed. We've taken it on a six year lease and there's no danger of the noise of ring-a-ring-a-roses seeping into the bank. There is two ft of concrete soundproofing between us and them."