Kids Planet opens in Prestwich

KIDS Planet Day Nurseries has opened a new £1.3m purpose-built day nursery in Prestwich. The nursery will cater for 126 children and create 40 new jobs.

Kids Planet has funded the opening with a new loan from Barclays. It will take the number of nurseries operated by the Lymm-based company to seven.

Kids Planet was founded by chief executive Clare Roberts and her father John Hoban, who is chairman, in 2008. The business was initially set up through the acquisition of two nurseries in Warrington and Widnes. Since then, it opened four more nursers at Beamont in Warrington, Crewe, Hale and Lymm.

The Prestwich nursery opened this weekend with a guest appearance from Coronation St actress Samia Ghadie.

Ms Roberts said: “Many things have changed within the childcare industry which is now a way of life, a far cry from the days when friends or family would turn their nose up at the idea of leaving children to go to work.

“There’s now a need for parents to find nurseries that not only offer a great environment for their children but are also flexible enough to meet their own needs.

“We are really excited to open our first purpose-built nursery in Prestwich which has given us much more design scope. It’s also great to be creating jobs for the local economy at a time when many people are struggling to find employment.

“Our aim is to continue expanding the business over the next few years with the continued support of Barclays.”

Barclays business manager Stuart Stocks said: “It is essential we support businesses like Kids Planet which are vital for a prosperous local economy.”