Santander banks on garden redesign
Posted: (l dS F)As a £10,000 garden renovation at Hartlepool’s biggest children’s nursery nears completion one of the world’s most well known banks is helping to put the finished touches to the project.
The Tees Valley division of Santander bank has donated £250 and the time of members of staff including the Relationship Director for the Tees Valley Richard Shuter and Customer Implementation Manager for the North East, Victoria Goult to help renovate an area of the garden at Hartlepool’s Clever Clogs Nursery.
The Santander team will be at the nursery on Throston Grange Lane between 9.30am – 3pm on Friday 15 July to transform the remaining untouched area of the garden into a sensory garden for nursery children aged 0-5 to explore.
Instillation of the Santander sensory area marks the completion of the substantial investment by the new owners of Clever Clogs Day Nursery – supported by Hartlepool Borough Council – which has seen the garden transformed into a safe, educational and relaxing space where children can learn about the environment and develop a love of the great outdoors.
The new garden now boasts play and educational areas, a vegetable garden where children will plant (and later encouraged to taste) fresh vegetables, a number of low-positioned chalk boards to allow the children to draw the plants they are growing, and a creepy crawlie log pile which provides hours of entertainment searching for new bugs.
Clever Clogs children can also now enjoy a sandpit, performance stage, playhouse and decking area, imbedded tyres, digging areas and flower potting areas. To boost privacy and increase security the existing metal fencing is now covered in willow and new locked gates have been fitted.
Andrea Townsley owner of Clever Clogs Nursery said: “We are delighted to see our garden near completion, we have invested a lot of time and money in creating a fantastic learning environment both within and outside of the nursery and the help and support of Santander this week will make the garden renovation project complete.
“The children will love exploring the sensory area where we will grow various plants, incorporate a number of textures into the design and plant flowers and herbs with contrasting smell to ignite the imagination. The garden allows us to teach the children all about nature, what they can do outside and encourages them to explore, grow, play and exercise in a fun and safe environment.”
Clever Clogs Nursery in Hartlepool became part of a small and individual family of three nurseries when it was taken over in February this year. The first Clever Clogs nursery was founded in 2007 by business woman and mother of three Andrea Townsley who purpose built her flagship nursery in Belmont, Durham. Belmont Clever Clogs has recently been awarded an outstanding grading by Ofsted – a feat shared by less than seven per cent of nurseries in England.
Almost £0.5m has been invested in the acquisition of the two new nurseries in Hartlepool and Bowburn, Durham which were bought due to demand for space at the Belmont Clever Clogs Nursery.
Hartlepool Clever Clogs Nursery has recently taken on three new employees and there is potential to double the number of jobs at the nursery once it reaches capacity. The highly qualified nursery team are able to offer childcare for 80, 0-5 year olds.
For more information on Clever Clogs Hartlepool call: 01429 277 273.
-Ends-
Notes to Editors
Clever Clogs Nurseries have a comprehensive range of policies and procedures which are all in accordance with the Department for Education and Skills Welfare Requirements and are inspected by Ofsted.
