New Nursery Tenant in Weston

Local couple Julie and Ian Lightley have signed a new long-term lease on a historic school building in Weston village on the Duchy’s Crewe estate.

Previously occupied by Poppy & Jack’s nursery, the building will now form part of the Village Nursery Group of eight nurseries operated by the couple across the North West region. Four of the Group’s other nurseries in Cheshire have been awarded ‘outstanding’ status by Ofsted.

Opening the doors to children earlier this month, Julie has been delighted by the uptake for places from local families: “We have transformed the nursery over the summer to showcase this beautiful old building with light and airy children’s rooms and an incredible outdoor space where we run Forest School classes.

“We are delighted to report that 25 of our available 80 spaces have already been filled with lots of interest and enquiries for places from next year. Our experienced team is looking forward to working with the new children and their families to provide the best possible learning environment in these early years.”

Julie is herself a qualified Early Years teacher with an MA in Education (Early Years). She is passionate about providing high quality learning experiences for children and making sure that each individual child is happy and confident in a learning environment. As with their other nurseries across Cheshire, Julie and her team will also forge close links with local primary schools to ensure a smooth transition into school.

The school building is situated in the heart of a conservation area within Weston village. Many of the period properties in the village form part of the 1,522-hectare Crewe estate acquired by the Duchy in the mid-1930s. Weston village is currently home to approximately 400 households.