Lawyer who represented Madeleine McCann parents expands nursery group

Edward Smethurst, director of Ashworth View Nursery, has recently bought family-owned Little Steps Day Nursery in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. The nursery, registered for 51 children, is his sixth setting.

Mr Smethurst is also a director of Madeline’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned, a not-for-profit company established to find Madeline McCann – the three-year-old who went missing while on holiday in Portugal 13 years ago – support her family and bring her abductors to justice. He helped Kate and Gerry McCann to win damages for defamation from two national newspapers.

The newly acquired nursery (pictured) was owned by Roy and Pamela Salt for 17 years. They sold the setting to pursue other business interests. The nursery was sold by Redwoods Dowling Kerr (RDK) in just five weeks of coming to the market.

Another growing nursery group, Orange Tree Day Nursery in central England, has acquired Chuckle Bunnies Day Nursery, a 53 place nursery in Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire.

Proprietor Jacqui Mason already owns four nurseries based in Stoke, Hucknall in Nottingham, Mickleover in Derby and another in the city of Derby.

It is the second nursery that RDK has sold on behalf of the vendor who owned it for more than 20 years. It sold within eight weeks.