The ground has been broken on the construction of a flagship new Busy Bees nursery in Lenzie – and for one of our team it really is a labour of love.
Yvonne Smillie, Scotland’s Managing Director for Busy Bees, is proud to be bringing the leading early years brand to her hometown and performed the ‘spade in the ground’ ceremony alongside Busy Bees Co-Founder Marg Randles.
“I met my best friend at nursery when we were three years old,” said Yvonne, “and I’m so proud that Busy Bees Lenzie can create the next generation of lifelong friends.
“As a local girl, who grew up, was educated and started working life in Lenzie, I can’t think of a better way to support the community in which my parents still live than to create jobs, boost the economy, support parents by helping them to go back to work and give every child the best start in life.”
The new nursery, at Stoneyetts Drive within the Woodilee Estate, will provide over 100 places for local babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers, as well as creating more than 25 jobs for professional early years educators, chefs and housekeepers.
Busy Bees was founded 40 years ago in Staffordshire, England, with an aspiration to give children the best start in life, and now cares for almost 100,000 children globally across 10 countries.
Marg Randles said: “I am thrilled to be here at the start of this exciting construction project and can’t wait to welcome local families into this wonderful new nursery.
“Although Busy Bees has grown into the UK’s largest childcare provider, we remain true to the values we held in our very first centre – to provide children with the best start in life.
"Over the next few months, we will be pouring our hearts into this new nursery, ensuring that we create a nurturing and supportive environment for generations of Lenzie children to come.”
Busy Bees Lenzie will feature bright and spacious learning environments with plenty of room for children to play and explore, including creative play areas, large outdoor spaces, a living nature wall, and bespoke furniture.
Yvonne Smillie added: “We have already been contacted by local parents keen to know when their children can join us, and we hope to be open in early Spring 2024.
“Busy Bees is the top early years provider in Scotland so I’m incredibly proud to be supporting quality careers for people in Lenzie. We will start recruiting our team soon, from SVQ apprentices to qualified educator level, and management roles.
"Being part of Busy Bees presents wonderful career progression, as well as industry-leading benefits and training opportunities.”
Yvonne herself didn’t achieve the qualifications she needed to go to university straight after school, but instead went to college, worked overseas and then moved into delivering Further Education before embarking on a first degree at the University of Glasgow as a mature student, while also working full time in the sector.
Joining Busy Bees in 2012 unlocked a host of career opportunities, including the chance to undertake an MBA at the University of Edinburgh, and Yvonne was invited to become the Managing Director for Scotland in 2021.
“We currently have 22 nurseries across Scotland, with over 600 dedicated staff caring and educating more than 1,500 children every week and I am thrilled children in Lenzie and the surrounding communities will soon be able to join Busy Bees,” she said.
“As someone who started work in Lenzie and has enjoyed a career that has taken me all over the world, I look forward to developing many more early years professionals from the local community and welcoming them into the Busy Bees family.”
For more information about Busy Bees Lenzie, call 0330 333 8133.
Anyone interested in a career with Busy Bees can find out more HERE