Celebrating 35 years of Woodlands Day Nursery

Decorated with balloons and bunting for the special occasion, the award-winning setting on Byerly Place provided the perfect backdrop for nostalgia, as devoted teams reflected on cherished memories and the thousands of young lives they’ve helped to shape since opening their doors in 1990, all whilst enjoying a buffet lunch and party cake.

Throughout the day, children were delighted to immerse themselves in all the activities on offer, including an outdoor tea party, party games, music, dancing and arts and crafts sessions where they made special birthday cards and artwork to honour the milestone.

Over the years, Woodlands have taken part in endless community ventures, including visiting residents in local care homes and taking part in litter picking initiatives to clear up their area, as well as being the proud holders of a host of accolades, including the prestigious Green Flag with Distinction from Eco-Schools for their environmental efforts.

Since opening, the nursery and its colleagues have also helped raise tens of thousands of pounds for causes including the British Heart Foundation and Mind with fundraisers like sleep rough nights and summer fayres, as well as making regular donations to local food banks, contributing to the 3.5 million plus figure raised by Childbase Partnership for charity.

Woodlands Day Nursery Manager, Alyson Hefferon explained;

“It’s incredible to think how far we’ve come since Woodlands was first opened by Rt. Hon. Sir Norman Fowler MP back in 1990. This milestone is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate everything that makes our nursery so special – from the dedicated colleagues, past and present, who’ve given so much to the children in our care, to the families who’ve trusted us to be part of their journeys. We’re very proud of our legacy within the community and remain as passionate as ever about giving every child the best possible start in life.”

Woodlands Day Nursery is part of the employee-owned Childbase Partnership.