Melton nursery celebrates its 20th anniversary

Staff at Melton's Early Years Nursery, which is 20 years old this month EMN-220126-140121001

The Early Years Nursery is now based off Norman Way although it has had several different homes over the years.

The group, which has recently started caring for babies for the first time, has come a long way since it started out at Colles Hall and Gloucester House in 2002.

Owner Joy Timmins said: “Over the years we have seen many children come through our doors and it is so lovely to see some of them now returning with their own children.

Children and staff at Melton's Early Years Nursery, which is 20 years old this month, pictured at their then Colles Hall HQ EMN-220126-140146001

“We have three staff celebrating their 20 years continuous service and across both nurseries we have many staff who have been with us for a considerable number of years.”

The first move for the nursery, which started up on January 18, 2002, came three years later, from Colles Hall to the Mall shopping centre in town.

In 2006 the nursery opened on site at Swallowdale Primary School.

And three years later they moved from Gloucester House and the Mall into the current nursery on Norman Way.

Early Years Nursery children at Norman Way in 2016 EMN-220126-161823001

Since then, there have been many developments at both nurseries.

A new portable nursery building was installed on the grounds of Swallowdale School in 2010, creating an exciting environment both indoors and out.

In 2014, a mezzanine floor was installed at the Norman Way nursery which allowed additional numbers of children to attend.

In addition to this, in 2017, a new baby room was created which enabled the nursery to care for children aged six months and upwards and their first cohort of babies have now started their primary education.

Early Years Nursery children at Swallowdale School in 2018 EMN-220126-161813001

The nursery says it continually strives to reflect and change to meet the needs of the children. Their focus is currently on the outdoor learning environment, where they are upgrading and installing new playground surfaces and equipment.

Joy added: “We would like to thank all of our parents, past and present, for their continued support.

“We also hope they will celebrate our 20 years with us and praise the fantastic staff that over those years have nurtured and cared for so many children.”

To celebrate their success the nursery is having individual cakes made for all of the children. These are being baked by Wellys Workplace, a Melton enterprise scheme, which supports adults with additional needs.