The new nursery teaching children to speak Cornish

Teacher Abbie Richards (left) said the lessons would "grow more awareness" of the language

A woman has opened a pre-school nursery in Cornwall with a focus on teaching children to speak Cornish.

St John Nursery School, in Camborne, was opened in September by French-born Emilie Champliaud.

She said she had been passionate about the language ever since she moved to the area with her Cornish-speaking husband 12 years ago.

The key to success, she said, was the integration of Cornish and English into the children's daily routines.

Emilie Champliaud moved to the area with her Cornish-speaking husband 12 years ago

Abbie Richards, one of the teachers, said the lessons would "grow more awareness" of the language.

"The majority of our children have lived in Cornwall for their whole lives," she said.

"Families have never left the area, so it's very important for us to promote our natural language.

"If we're using it in the classroom they're going to use it at home and share it with their families."

Emilie Champliaud added: "Just like native speakers, at first they don't understand - they just understand the context.

"Then they relate the context and the word and then they become fluent in the language because it becomes their means of communication."