Nursery makes first appointment

A NEW co-operative nursery which opens in March as part of a &#163 750,000 development to serve the local community in Swindon will be in capable hands.
Mother-of-two Bev Badminton, an experienced former nursery supervisor and deputy manager, has been appointed manager of the Imagine Co-operative Childcare, part of Midcounties Co-op, nursery now taking shape in the grounds of the Robert Le Kyng School site on Westcott Street.
Her team of full and part-time staff is now being recruited for the nursery which will jointly occupy purpose-built premises with a Barnardo&#039s Children&#039s Centre.
The nursery will provide quality, affordable childcare and education for children aged three months to five-years-old and make a real difference to local families in an area of need. Reservations for places have started already even though it is not due to open until 20 March.
Bev, who lives in Swindon, was deputy manager at the Imagine Co-operative Childcare Nursery at Walcot before gaining promotion. The new nursery will work closely with Walcot, which has been a big success since it opened in March 2004.
Bev said: "It&#039s very exciting to be involved from the start and I can&#039t wait for the day when we open. I am sure it will be very popular, particularly with young families who need the support and the opportunities to take up employment knowing that their children are being well cared for in a safe and stimulating environment."
The Imagine nursery and the Barnardo&#039s childrens centre development has been funded by the Department for Education and Skills, through Swindon Borough Council, in a partnership between the public, private and voluntary sectors.