Spotlight on…Anne Watson

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED WITH PORTLAND NURSERIES?

I joined when the late Rosemary Murphy just owned the one nursery in 1993. It was in the house Rosemary lived in, so it naturally felt very homely. I immediately felt I’d found a place with children at its heart, and that was very much true of Rosemary, who was a very inspiring lady who always strived for the best. Now her children have taken over and It has been a real journey with the family, watching them grow to four nurseries.

WHAT HAVE YOU BROUGHT TO YOUR ROLE?

Through the years I’ve worked with all ages. Now some of those children are bringing their own babies to us. I’ve been encouraged to further my own development and step out of my comfort zone a lot, such as going for training on outdoor learning. I like to get out and work with the community as much as possible, for example arranging a nativity play we put on at the local church for charity. I also do role-modelling.

HOW DID YOU MARK YOUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH THE COMPANY?

I got a beautiful clock, and vouchers for a meal. The most important thing for me was that I was presented with them at our annual training day with staff from all the nurseries present. It’s lovely to receive praise and recognition for the work I’ve done across the years.

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN PORTLAND NURSERIES DEVELOP OVER THE YEARS?

When I started we used to give out flyers to publicise the nursery, but now we get lots of families coming in just from recommendations, which is delightful. We have really good relationships with lots of families across Huddersfield and a lot of long-standing staff, so we are very close-knit. It’s lovely to celebrate the company’s growth and success, and a pleasure to work for a group with four Outstanding nurseries. I’m looking forward to spending much more time at the company.