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Busy Bees Lenzie welcomes Minister Maree Todd to officially open its doors

Published: 03/02/2025

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Busy Bees

A brand-new nursery in Lenzie welcomed Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport of Scotland, to officially open its doors.

The Busy Bees Lenzie nursery team marked the occasion with an official ribbon cutting ceremony last Thursday 30th January alongside Maree, local dignitaries and colleagues. 

The 90-place nursery located on Stoneyetts Drive in Woodliee Village caters for children aged from three months to five years old and is managed by a team with over 100 years of combined early years’ experience.

It features bright and spacious learning environments with plenty of room for children to play and explore, including creative play areas and large outdoor spaces. The nursery also boasts a large commercial kitchen where the nursery chef cooks NHS accredited menus whilst a dedicated parent room offers space for busy families to relax. These beautifully designed spaces are complimented by numerous flexible learning areas where children of mixed ages can join together in bright, spacious environments.

Nicole Smith, Centre Director for Busy Bees Lenzie, said: “We are so proud to welcome Maree, local dignitaries and Busy Bees colleagues from across the UK, to officially open our nursery and celebrate this special moment with us.

“I have been part of Busy Bees for 10 years now and the Lenzie nursery opening is a personal highlight. Not only is it our first new-build nursery in Scotland but it is also paving the way for the future of early years education, allowing us to provide high-quality care in a beautiful and nurturing environment for children.” 

Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Wellbeing and Sport, said: “I would like to congratulate Busy Bees on the opening of their new nursery in Lenzie.
 
“High-quality childcare is critical for children’s development, improving outcomes and ensuring they have the best possible start in life – as well as playing a key role in enabling parents and carers to work, train and study.
 
“I’m sure Busy Bees will offer a valuable service for the community in Lenzie and wish them every success for the future.”

The centre aims to encourage sustainable travel options through the provision of a cycle rack for staff and parents, electric vehicle (EV) charging points for staff and a buggy store for parents who walk to drop-off/pick-up their children.  

Yvonne Smillie, Scotland’s Managing Director for Busy Bees, is proud to be bringing the leading early years brand to her hometown of Lenzie. 

She said: “As a local girl who grew up and started my career in Lenzie, this nursery is a real labour of love. Over the past year, we have put our heart and soul into creating a wonderful environment where children can grow, one that parents will love and in which staff can thrive as they progress in their careers with Busy Bees.

“It was an honour to welcome Minister Todd to our nursery. Maree is an advocate for women’s wellbeing, and we are proud that the nursery puts our team’s wellbeing at the forefront through training and development opportunities and spaces where they feel supported in their work and studies.”

Busy Bees Lenzie has created more than 25 jobs for professional early years educators, chefs and housekeepers. During the nursery build, it also created more than 30 jobs for local suppliers and the developer is also a local company, Richard Henderson Construction, based in Lenzie. Today was a celebration of the true collaboration which has transformed an unused section of land into an oasis for learning.

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. 

For more information, click here.