The manager of the new kindergarten ‘Grow and Thrive’ in Douglas says the nursery has ‘an important role to play’ in the Isle of Man’s plan for a larger population.

The project has been orchestrated by owner Michael Hebden, who has refurbished an old nursery at 26 Hutchinson Square in Douglas, with the new facility officially opening yesterday (August 7).

The nursery is open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, with the ground floor being a specialised baby suite for babies in between nine months and two years. The upper floors are then specialised for children in between two and four years, when they will then be old enough for primary school.

Mr Hebden said: ‘The baby suite is a calm and loving environment, while the upper floors are filled with toys, music, dance, arts and crafts equipment and a fun, playful but educational environment.

‘We firmly believe that Hutchinson Square itself benefits from Grow and Thrive. It brings life and vitality to the square and local neighbourhood. There could not be a better use for the splendid gardens than for small children to play there and enjoy the wonderful, natural environment.

‘We have a fully qualified and very experienced team, which is led by the nursery manager Nicky Earwaker and deputy manager Sammy Wren-Kennish, who have nearly two decades of experience between them.’

Nicky Earwaker, the general manager of the new nursery, said: ‘We firmly believe that we have an important part to play in the island as a whole. The government’s plan is to grow the population to 100,000 by 2037 and to do this, predominantly, it needs to attract younger families to the island. These families will obviously need good quality and reliable child care facilities like ours.

‘The location is fantastic as well. Off the main road, with plenty of parking, there is Nobles park and Douglas beach nearby and Scoill yn Jubilee and St Mary’s schools just a short walk away for when the children leave.’

If you wish to learn more about the nursery, you can visit its website at www.growandthrive.im or call them on 619300.