Spotlight on…Sam Green

Why did you decide to set up Green Garden?

I was a childminder for ten years. I had a minibus and used to take the children outside every day, to parks, fetes, play gyms or dance groups. I started to wonder why more nurseries didn’t do that, rather than weekly or monthly. I wanted to give that experience to more children so I sold all my assets and opened the nursery in May, with places for up to 20 children.

What makes your childcare different?

I wanted to provide an outdoor environment but a homely experience. We’re based in the grounds of a manor house in what used to be the gardener’s home, with a river and woodland just outside. We don’t have any plastic toys in the building. We go out on nature trails and daily duck feeds, use natural resources, and see wildlife such as foxes, badgers and owls. We even have a swan we named, who sits on our nearby river beach.

What are some of the challenges of getting established as a new nursery?

I’ve lived in Southampton my whole life and I never even knew this site existed. So we plan to hold a fun day with businesses and families from the local community all invited, to show what we’re about. We want to build awareness that we are here and we are fantastic!