Littlehampton pre-school celebrates £250,000 facelift

Children at the newly-improved Co-operative Childcare Nursery, in Watersmead Business Park, were jumping for joy as they got the chance to play in their new building, on Monday morning.

Dozens of children were running around and joining in with the special activities, with a fun-filled dance workshop, organised by Boogie Bug Club, helping to keep them entertained.

Nursery manager Emma Bowman said: “It has been a really good day. We’re really pleased with our new nursery.

“It’s been a lot of hard work but it is definitely worth it.”

The cash for the redesign was provided by the nursery’s new provider, Co-operative Childcare. The facility is now the group’s 50th to be opened across the UK.

The nursery was, however, initially set-up by The Body Shop’s founder Anita Roddick, 23 years ago, to offer childcare services to parents working at the company’s global headquarters at Watersmead.

Paul McGreevy, of The Body Shop, explained: “We are really pleased with our newly refurbished nursery.

“Our founder Anita Roddick originally set it up to offer parents with young children the option of being able to work without the continuing worry of inadequate childcare.

“We are building on her legacy to ensure The Body Shop provides a good quality nursery for both our own employees and the wider Littlehampton community.”

The site was officially opened by Will Ward, of The Body Shop, with the revamp taking six weeks to complete.

Special guests included Rustington Parish Council chairman Andy Cooper. After the ceremony, parents and children were given a tour of the refurbished centre, which now features a much larger pre-school room with easy access to the outdoor area and new educational resources including musical instruments and cooking equipment.

It also has a new garden that has been fitted with a sand pit, vegetable patch and play areas to cater for a variety of age groups.

The nursery now has a total of 123 children on its books, with added places created following the expansion.

To find out about places at the nursery, email [email protected] or call 0800 954 0669.