Thrive Childcare and Education has bought Tots N Tykes in Pudsey, near Leeds – its first setting in Yorkshire, and the Culcheth Day Nursery near Warrington, bringing its total number of sites to 48.
Tots N Tykes was established in 1990 by owner Lesley Maughan, a qualified nurse and midwife, originally as part of a partnership. Lesley and her husband Chris took over the partnership 14 years ago.
Culcheth Day Nursery was previously operated by Debbie Byrne-Davies, who joined the setting originally as a nursery nurse in 1994.
Thrive’s chief executive Cary Rankin said, ‘It has been a pleasure to work with Lesley and Debbie. They clearly care deeply about their nursery teams and are passionate and incredibly knowledgeable.
‘With the support of Thrive, we are confident the nursery teams will excel, maintaining the high standards the former owners’ set, whilst keeping their standing in the local area and continuing their own individual progression.'
Michael Forrester, head of acquisitions at Thrive, added, ‘At Thrive we only buy successful nursery businesses, so were very pleased to acquire Tot N Tykes and the Culcheth Day Nursery. I would like to thank Lesley and Debbie for their hard work and perseverance during what is a difficult juggling act of selling and running a business simultaneously, our legal team at TLT, our financial team at Mazars and our early years external consultant.’
Tots N Tykes in Pudsey has been bought by Thrive Childcare and Education
Other nursery groups growing
Nursery groups Children 1st Day Nurseries and Future Einsteins have also expanded.
Future Einsteins has acquired its third site in Wakefield, West Yorkshire following a six-figure investment from Lloyds Bank.
The group, which is owned by co-directors Christine Cody-Owen and Gemma Pidcock, also operates settings in Outwood (Wakefield) and Churwell (Leeds).
They said, ‘It’s so exciting to be able to start work on our third site.
‘The support from the team at Lloyds Bank has been invaluable – we were purchasing from the previous owner who was ready to move onto other ventures.
‘We can’t wait to open our doors to new families with some of the best facilities available for the families we support.’
Children 1st Day Nurseries has opened its flagship setting in Oakwood, Derby, following extensive refurbishment to the site, which was purchased by the group more than two years ago.
The setting was jointly opened by the owner of Children 1st Margaret Mason and Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance (both pictured below playing crazy golf at the new nursery).
The nursery group now operates 23 settings, caring for more than 3,000 children.
Children 1st @ Oakwood will provide care for 167 children and employ 20 members of staff. Set across four floors, the site brings together two historical buildings – a large Victorian property and an adjacent annexe building.
The original annexe building – previously home to The Honey Pot Day Nursery – has been turned into a community room to run free parenting classes, coffee mornings and other events to support parents within the local community.
The setting has an allotment, woodland area and a mud kitchen. It will also be the first beneficiary of the nursery group’s new charity, The Margaret Mason Children 1st Trust, which offers free childcare places to vulnerable children.
'I think Children 1st @ Oakwood is our best nursery to date'
Margaret Mason, Children 1st founder and executive chair, said, 'I want all young children to have access to the best possible early years education and have fought hard to raise standards across the sector since the 1980s. As a company, we have spent millions of pounds investing in all our nurseries to create amazing environments for our children, but I think Children 1st @ Oakwood is our best nursery to date.
‘I am thrilled to finally be able to cut the ribbon at Children 1st @ Oakwood and would like to thank everyone who joined us to celebrate. The new site will be a real asset for the local community as well as our children for years to come, and I’m proud to be part of that legacy.’
