Nursery World - Interview: Linda Knight - The Co-operative Childcare's group childcare manager

The Co-operative Childcare has re-launched the first of the 23 nurseries it acquired from the Buffer Bear chain under its own branding, to mark the start of a 1.8m makeover for the combined group. The chain now runs a total of 29 nurseries across the country, offering more than 2,000 childcare places.

You relaunched the nursery in Wythenshawe, Manchester, last week under the Co-operative Childcare branding. What changes have you made to the setting?

We spent £60,000 on an internal refurbishment to modernise and brighten the nursery. This included redecorating, new flooring and purchasing new resources.

When do you plan to relaunch the other 22 ex-Buffer Bear nurseries?

The others will all be completed by the end of September. We chose to open the setting in Wythenshawe first as it was a good building and didn't need a great deal of work.

How much will you be spending on the refurbishment of the others?

We are spending a total of around £1.8m. The amount spent on each nursery will vary between £60,000 and £100,000. Most money is being spent on the settings in Chichester in West Sussex, Sutton, Great Western Hospital NHS Trust in Swindon, Wiltshire, and Newcastle.

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