Little Pixies Nursery is open and ready for little elves

Two working mothers, Deb Lovell and Sarah Felkin, have opened a day nursery for children from 12 weeks to pre-school ages which offers a nurturing with nature culture within a rural setting.

The nursery is situated one mile from the busy A5 at Nescliffe with ample car parking, making it ideal for parents dropping off their children on the way to work in both Shrewsbury, Oswestry and the surrounding areas.

A garden has been created offering a large outdoor space for the little ones to not only let off steam, but also includes a vegetable garden and chicken house.  The children are encouraged to help with both these activities with produce being used in the daily meals provided from scratch by Deb in the purposed built kitchen.  The nursery has already won Shropshire Council’s Platinum Healthy Eating Award.

A start-up grant from Shropshire Council’s Business Enterprise Fund helped to install a specially-designed toilet for the children.  The nursery also offers two dedicated areas for the children, with a quiet area for naps.

Sarah Felkin said:

“Our aim is to create a home from home; we spend time getting to understand the child’s home environment and continue the family values within the nursery.  The children and staff all sit together at mealtimes, creating a family unit away from home.  Parents working all day can collect their children happy in the knowledge that they have had lunch and tea, allowing them to enjoy quality time with their children when they get home.”

Councillor Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for economic growth and prosperity, said:

“It is really encouraging that this business has got off the ground creating three additional jobs within its first year of trading.”

Trevor Davies, a Shropshire Councillor for Gobowen, Selattyn and Weston Rhyn, said:

“Little Pixies Nursery will be much appreciated by hard working mums from the Oswestry area.”

David Lloyd, also a Shropshire Councillor for Gobowen, Selattyn and Weston Rhyn, added:

“It is good that those behind the Little Pixies Nursery have provided the key for others to get economically active as well as offering toddlers care in a rural setting.”

Shropshire Council has been able to continue the Business Enterprise Fund, through European funding.  The fund supports SME businesses at any stage from inception onwards.  The fund can now support businesses of any age, but is only available for businesses that operate a business to business model or are tourism-based.  For further details around eligibility, people can visit the website at www.shropshire.gov.uk/SBEF.