Childminder’s challenge pays off with third nursery set for expansion

A family nursery business has embarked on the next stage of its expansion, nine years after the founder chose to take on a new challenge and build on her success as a home-based childminder.

Springboard Nursery has taken capacity at its three locations in and around Hull to more than 300 with the addition of the pre-school room at the site in Willerby which it launched in September at one of Allenby Commercial’s Trade Yard developments.

Owner Gail Heelas said: “We had been operating a nursery at The Bloc, Allenby’s site in Anlaby, for three years when they told me they had bought Worx in Hull city centre. It’s a completely different environment but it’s also very busy so we gave it a go.

“The week before the first lockdown they asked when we would be opening another nursery. I asked when they would have a site and they told me they’d just started work at The Trade Yard in Willerby. So here we are.”

Gail Heelas had been working from home for 13 years before setting up the first nursery at Anlaby.

Her husband Richard was working for himself as an electrician and moved across to the family business when the second site opened in 2018.

Son Tyler found himself pondering his next move after university and jumped on board to run HR and health and safety as the business grew.

From a team of six in 2014 the company now employs 82 people, with new staff arriving every month to meet rising demand.

The Anlaby and Hull sites, which also have pre-school rooms, can each accommodate nearly 100 children. The completion of the pre-school room at Willerby takes capacity there to more than 120.

The new building has a baby room, toddler room and pre-school room and each has a dedicated outdoor play area, enabling all the children to play inside and outdoors and stay in their own groups.

Other facilities include a sensory space, IT room and a staff area, with plans to add out-of-school services in a future phase.

Georgia Allenby, design and marketing manager at Allenby Commercial, said the site was originally acquired as another location for The Trade Yard brand, aimed at the trade counter and DIY sectors.

The Trade Yard sites in Beverley and Scunthorpe are both full and work is in progress on new developments at Immingham and Barton-on-Humber.

The Trade Yard Willerby was filling up quickly with Toolstation, Screwfix and Easy Bathrooms. Then Allenby came up with the idea of trying something different at the development.

Georgia said: “When the conversation with Springboard Nursery happened, it became clear that it was the perfect spot for a new-build nursery and pre-school facility.

“To develop a purpose-built facility from the ground up and see it working as we’d all hoped is very rewarding. Together we’ve created a state of the art facility for future generations to enjoy.”