Busy Bees celebrates 30 years
Catherine Gaunt
Monday, November 25, 2013
Celebrations at Busy Bees nurseries across the country for the 30th birthday of the UK's largest nursery group include parties, competitions and a world record attempt.
Children and staff at the 213 Busy Bees nursery settings have held birthday tea parties to mark 30 years since six teachers came together to open the first Busy Bees nursery in Lichfield in 1983.
Guests, including Busy Bees staff and children past and present, joined co-founder and managing director Marg Randles and co-founder and CEO John Woodward for a party at the Busy Bees National Support Centre in Burntwood. Founder and managing director of Usborne Books Peter Usborne read a story to children who had won a birthday invitation design competition held in the nurseries.
Ms Randles said, ‘It was so special to see so many of our old friends and families come back to share some fond memories and delicious tea and cake.
‘Never in a million years did we consider that our idea to create a nursery good enough for our own children would evolve to this extent. We’ve been given wonderful opportunities to work with some truly gifted people and have seen so many children thrive and prosper over the years thanks to the dedication and expertise of our staff.
‘It’s been hard work and many lessons have been learnt along the way, but now with 213 nurseries across the UK and more planned for 2014, we are delighted that we can continue to deliver even more exceptional care to more children.”
Busy Bees joined forces with Usborne Books, who arranged for storytellers to visit every nursery to read from their new book, Bee Makes Tea.
Children at nurseries such as Sale and Oldbrook enjoyed party games, bee hunts and afternoon teas. Nursery chefs created their own birthday cakes to be entered in to a company-wide competition.
Many nurseries also made an attempt at breaking the Guinness world record for the second time for the most people dressed up as bumble bees.
Busy Bees is the UK’s largest childcare provider. The chain incorporates Leapfrog Day Nurseries, Early Years Childcare and Just Learning. At the end of October it confirmed that its largest majority shareholder Knowledge Universe had sold its share to Teachers’ Private Capital, the investment arm of the Ontario Teachers’’ Pensions Fund.
