Both are new builds and will offer 81 places and employ 25-30 employees.
The new setting in Lyde Green, Bristol, in March will be the group’s 21st nursery.
Building work has recently started on the new nursery on the outskirts of Salisbury in the village of Old Sarum, which the group said would provide large indoor and outdoor spaces.
Kevin Higgs, development director at Happy Days Nurseries, said, ‘We are delighted to be working with Henry Davidson Developments and Rigg Construction to bring forward our new nursery setting as part of the local centre at Long Hedge, Old Sarum, Salisbury.
‘We anticipate being open in August 2020 offering places for children from three months to four years adding much needed provision in this part of the city. We have been working closely with the council prior to the construction of the setting and look forward to engaging with local stakeholders leading up to opening.’
Construction is underway at Happy Days' new Salisbury site, where an 81-place nursery is due to open in August
Little Orchard Montessori Nurseries
Meanwhile, Devon day nursery group, Little Orchard Montessori Nurseries, has opened its fourth site in Plympton.
Owners Caroline Lucas and Tracey Bruce used a £136,500 finance package from NatWest to acquire Hobby Horse Day Nursery on Branson Court, safeguarding the jobs of six employees, and rebranding as Little Orchard Montessori Chaddlewood.
The space has been refurbished in line with the Montessori learning style, divided into curriculum areas such as practical life, sensory, language, mathematics and culture, and fully furnished with Montessori equipment.
The owners, who have 15 years of early years experience between them, opened their first day nursery in South Brent 14 years ago. In 2015, they launched Little Orchard Montessori, which now operates four nurseries across Devon, including sites in Sparkwell and Ivybridge, and employs 35 members of staff.
Ms Lucas said, ‘Tracey and I are very excited to finally be up and running with our fourth site. After hearing that the previous owners of the building were looking to close, we took the opportunity to not only grow our business, but also safeguard local jobs and ensure that children in the area still have a high quality nursery to attend.
‘Shortly after starting our careers in childcare, both myself and Tracey fell in love with the Montessori style of education and the way it allows children to follow their own interests, learn at their own pace, and most of all have fun whilst doing so.’
Alpha Kindergarten
Alpha Kindergarten has bought Park Lane Kids, two nurseries in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. Dan Slipper who owns one setting in Peterborough has bought Park Lane Nursery and Woodlands Nursery, which provide places for 140 children and are currently rated Good and Outstanding respectively by Ofsted.
Vendor Samantha Faulkner has run the group since 2008, and is now leaving the sector to pursue other opportunities.
Natasha Satterthwaite, lead negotiator at Redwoods Dowling Kerr, which handled the sale, said, ‘It has been a pleasure working with Sam on the sale of her settings. Her hard work and effort into making them successful settings is demonstrated in the level of interest and the amount of offers she has received for the nurseries. I’m sure Alpha Kindergarten will continue on the settings' current success.'
Busy Bees
The UK's largest nursery group has bought Squiggles Childcare in Sevenoaks. The setting in Riverhead, Sevenoaks offers places for up to 93 children and features a large outdoor play area.
Busy Bees now cares for more than 35,000 children across 379 nurseries in the UK and Ireland, and 50,000 children worldwide across more than 500 nurseries in the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, America, Vietnam and Australia.
Jackie Hedges, who previously ran the nursery alongside her daughter, Claire, said, ‘We have thoroughly enjoyed caring for all the children over the years and working alongside our dedicated and caring team. Busy Bees share our mission to ensure every child’s happiness, well-being and progress is prioritised. I am in no doubt that Squiggles is in safe hands and we wish them all the very best for the future.’
Europe chief executive of Busy Bees, Cheryl Creaser, added, ‘The love and attention Jackie and Claire have put into the setting is clear to see. The team provide exceptional care day-in-day-out and their mission to provide children with a calm, safe and happy environment perfectly aligns with our own. It’s our pleasure to welcome Squiggles parents, children and staff to the Busy Bees family.'
