Nurseries build into regeneration

The Places for People Group, which has named its childcare subsidiary Places for Children, has hired former Jigsaw Day Nurseries chief executive Tom Shea to launch a number of Neighbourhood Nurseries. The first of the nurseries, which will all be new-build, opens in Hackney later this year, while others are planned in the London boroughs of Lewisham, Hounslow, Islington, Ealing and Southwark, as well as Manchester, Watford, Southampton and Newcastle.

Mr Shea, who founded the Jigsaw chain in 1990, said, 'We have been working with the Places for People Group for some time while they develop a series of neighbourhood nurseries. When they were interested in setting up a childcare subsidiary they wanted expertise and chose us to assist them.

'The concept of these nurseries sits well with a number of the Places for People Group's regeneration projects in areas of deprivation,' Mr Shea added. The consultancy will be involved in the development and management of the nurseries.

The Places for People Group described Places for Children as 'a totally new concept in childcare, combining the regeneration and community building know-how of the Places for People Group with childcare expertise from the Childcare Innovations Partnership'.

The group added, 'We're convinced that to establish outstanding childcare provision in the not-for-profit field, you need the highest quality of working environments, and the very best people.' It said its main focus was 'to improve existing neighbourhoods and create new ones', combining the regeneration of housing with the creation of community facilities such as nurseries and health centres.