The former Horizons Nursery in Sunderland is about to enjoy a brand new lease of life since being acquired in November by husband and wife Christian and Phillippa Balmer. The pair have ambitious plans for the 60-place site, which was due to close at the end of 2009 if new owners had not been found.
The nursery, now called Apple Blossom Childcare, occupies a wing of Sunderland City Hospital and is a listed building. It first came up for sale in 2007, but it was only recently that the Balmers' personal circumstances made it right to go ahead with the purchase.
'In a time of economic recession, we are delighted that we have been able to buck the trend and successfully pursue our plans,' says Mr Balmer. 'There have been quite a lot of ups and downs along the way, not least to do with the legal aspects of the purchase, but we got there in the end.'
A strong business plan and being organised in the approach to funding has paid off.
'We managed to secure funding through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme and we have also achieved capital funding from our local authority to the tune of £50,000 to improve indoor equipment, boost accessibility and substantially improve the outdoor area,' says Mr Balmer. 'We are also now looking at our eligibility for local sustainability funding.'
In the short time since the nursery has been under its new ownership, no less than £47,000 has been spent on improving the building. A landscape architect is currently working on ambitious plans to develop the outdoors area.
With 56 children currently on the nursery's books, the aim is to achieve its 60 full-time place occupancy. Three more children are starting in January and Mr Balmer wants to look at using extra space for a summer club. The nursery currently has 11 staff and two directors, and there are plans to take on more.
'We have been extremely busy during the Christmas break, improving the environment and getting everything ready for the 2010 relaunch,' he says. 'We are promoting the nursery locally to parents and redeveloping the website. There is a strong demand for childcare here, not least among the many NHS workers, which we are aiming to meet with a high-quality setting.'
For Phillippa Balmer, the acquisition of the nursery is the realisation of a long-held ambition to be a nursery owner. She has worked in childcare for over 13 years and is currently completing a BA in Early Childhood Studies. She also hopes to undertake EYPS later this year.
'This is a great opportunity to transform the existing nursery and create a brand new setting that will offer local families the very best in childcare,' she says.
Mr Balmer adds, 'The building is wonderful and the children and staff are fantastic, so it is all very positive and we are looking forward to our first year ahead.'
