2024 in review

With the start of the New Year, we wanted to take a look back and review some of our achievements of 2024! Here are some of the things we’re proud of from last year…

One new CEO & four new board members

In February 2024 Raised In appointed a new CEO – Annabel Thomas MacGregor who has over 10 years of experience in education and creative industries. Nearly In February 2024 Raised In appointed a new CEO – Annabel Thomas MacGregor who has over 10 years of experience in education and creative industries. Nearly one year on we’re pleased to now have Annabel as an established part of the team, with Raised In’s Board fully non-executive for the first time! We remain female-led at both executive and Board level, after being founded by three pioneering women and continue to champion diversity and inclusion across all levels of the business.

Two team members completed their Level 3 qualification

One of our commitments at Raised In is to lifelong learning and we encourage continued professional development within our team. In 2024, two team members completed their level 3 Early Years Qualification, having been supported through their apprenticeships by us. We also had one team member complete their Level 5 (equivalent to a Foundation Degree) and one achieved their Early Years Teacher status, with record numbers of the team embarking on their Level 3 qualifications, Level 5 qualifications and Early Years Teacher Training (EYITT) with us in 2025. This is alongside all the regular statutory and practice development training which we support our team with throughout the year. All our Managers are now qualified at, or working towards, their Level 5 or above. We’re really proud of everyone’s progress this year!

Three Raised In community partners

We have three community partners across our four nursery sites. Eastside Community Trust at Easton Community Centre and Felix Road Adventure Playground. Full Circle at Docklands at Docklands Community Centre. Southmead Development Trust at the Greenway Centre.

Four Raised in Bristol nurseries

We have four Raised in Bristol nurseries across the city of Bristol. With two nurseries in Easton: Raised in Bristol at Easton Community Centre and Raised in Bristol at Felix Road Adventure Playground. One nursery in Bristol City Centre in St Pauls: Raised in Bristol at Docklands Community Centre and one nursery in North Bristol: Raised in Bristol at the Greenway Centre.

27 early years apprentices

We’re proud to have had 27 apprentices training with us in 2024 across our four Raised in Bristol nurseries. Doing an apprenticeship is a great way to learn on the job and get a qualification in Early Years Education. We pay our apprentices the Real Living Wage from day one, which is almost double the apprentice minimum wage. Paying a fair wage is a huge part of our ethos at Raised in Bristol.

76 school leavers

In 2024 we said goodbye to 76 preschoolers as they went off to start school, many of whom had been with us since they were babies. At Raised in Bristol we provide the youngest members of our communities with early years education preparing them for what's to come and providing them a hand to hold as they take their first steps towards school.

383 children attending a Raised In nursery

Across the year we’ve been privileged to support the education and development of over 380 children. Whether children are with us for a short time or for all of their preschool education, they receive the same expert and dedicated care and support to thrive and get ready for the next step in their lives.

£600k+ in rent paid to date

We have paid over £600k in rent to our charitable community partners since we opened our first nursery in 2017. Our social enterprise business model is about providing community hubs with a sustainable income so they can continue providing services and support to the surrounding community for the benefit of all.

We wanted to say a big thank you to our Raised in Bristol families, team and community partners for making 2024 a huge success and we’re super excited to see what 2025 brings!