The 180-place nursery in South Gloucestershire has already welcomed its first babies, toddlers and pre-school children, is the tenth setting within the South West nursery group’s portfolio. The other settings are based in Bath, Bristol and North Wiltshire.
The striking, purpose-designed nursery features environmentally friendly solar panels and electric car charging points, as well as bike racks and shower facilities to encourage staff to cycle to work.
Children’s rooms have wall-to-wall windows (pictured below), which open onto the garden for indoor/outdoor learning.
The gardens have been designed by EarthWrights, which is known for its natural play solutions, and contain wooden play structures; a cascading water and sand station, and a walk-in sand pit.
Owner, Rosemary Collard who started the nursery group with her husband Paul, 21 years ago from their farmhouse home in Wiltshire, said the nursery group now provides 1,200 places for children in the South West, and the new nursery will eventually provide 45 to 50 jobs for local people.
‘We could hardly have chosen to expand at a more difficult time,' she added. 'Coronavirus has been a challenge for all nurseries as it is for many businesses.
'We were very proud to remain open for other key workers during the first lockdown in March and April and, of course, this time nurseries are able to stay open for all children.
'We are delighted to have completed our latest nursery despite the difficult environment and have enjoyed welcoming all the children already registered to join us. We are also incredibly proud of this building which, we think, will be a fantastic asset to the residents in this growing and dynamic South Gloucestershire community.’
