The north west of England nursery group was established in 2005 by owners and directors Julie and Ian Lightley. Its nurseries, the majority of which are based in Cheshire, are in a 45 minute radius of its Crewe head office.
At the beginning of the year the group purchased The Nursery in Wistaston, Cheshire (below) from Joe and Carol Connolly who were retiring from the business. It is currently being refurbished.
Before the lockdown the group took over the building next door to its Warrington nursery. It has 
now been successfully reopened as an early years centre focussing on family sessions, events and support in the community along with a sessional pre-school.
A former Poppy and Jack’s nursery in Weston, Cheshire, was added to the portfolio this month. The nursery, which is based in an old village school, is currently closed down but will be re-opened in September and aptly re-named Schoolhouse Nursery. A new team is being recruited and there are plans to operate a forest school.
Ms Lightley was pleased to highlight some positive news for the sector during the current ‘challenging’ times. ‘I have never known such a fast paced time in our sector, which I’m sure is the same with everyone,’ she said.
‘Our September occupancy is definitely better than I thought and at the moment looks back to normal in all our settings, higher in most except for Trafford Park [an industrial area of Manchester] which reflects where it is regarding businesses not being fully back.’
