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New nurseries buck economic trend

While many businesses around Britain are suffering from the effects of the economic downturn, two nursery chains in the north-east have bucked the trend by opening new settings.

Rob and Kaye Kilsby, owners of the Tynemouth Nursery Group, launched Tynemouth Nursery at Church High, their seventh nursery, in September. The new setting, which is located in the grounds of a private girls' school, has 54 places and has already reached 50 per cent occupancy.

The Tynemouth Nursery Group now offers a total of 355 childcare places in the north-east.

Mr and Mrs Kilsby, who opened their first nursery in 1999, are planning to open three more sites over the next two years.

Mr Kilsby, an entrepreneur who is also the owner of a fine art photography company, a data capture firm and 15 rental properties, said, 'We knew that we were opening the nursery at a difficult time, but our nursery is aimed very much at the professional market and we are lucky that in the north-east there is a good spread of different industries.

'We are pleased that we have seen such a high level of demand - we had planned to have the nursery 75 per cent full after one year, so we are well ahead of budget. Our under-twos room is already full.'

The Kilsbys said they have tried to make each of their settings feel warm and homely for the children who attend.

Mr Kilsby said, 'We wanted our nurseries to be different from a lot of the large, open-plan nurseries that have opened over the past ten years in industrial style units.'

Another regional childcare operator that appears to be prospering is Interserve, a facilities management company, which has opened its third nursery.

The new setting, First Steps Nursery in Longbenton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, provides 61 childcare places for staff at HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Interserve branched out into childcare in May 2005, when it began running the Stepping Stones Day Nursery in Tyneview Park, Newcastle. It opened Waterview Park nursery, its second setting, in Washington, Tyne and Wear, in 2006.

Rob Anderson, Newcastle Estates Contract Manager, said, 'We are absolutely delighted to have won the contract for a third nursery to add to our portfolio of self-delivered childcare services. It's especially gratifying as we won this ahead of a childcare specialist.'

Interserve now offers a total of 228 childcare places in Newcastle and North Tyneside.