Community-based nurseries; an intro to our St Pauls nursery in Bristol City Centre and our North Bristol nursery in Southmead

In the previous blogs in this series, we looked at why community based nurseries are a win-win for everyone, and how this translates into reality at our Easton nurseries based at Easton Community Centre and Felix Road Adventure Playground in the east of Bristol. In this blog, we will look at how our community nurseries contribute wider benefits to the communities of St Paul’s in Bristol’s city centre, and Southmead, to the north of Bristol.

Raised in Bristol at Docklands Community Centre, St Pauls 

Our nursery in the heart of St Paul’s opened in 2019 - just before the Covid pandemic arrived and prompted all sorts of changes for everyone! We had been invited by the Board at Full Circle Docklands Community Centre to open a nursery to help safeguard the future of this long-standing and vital community organisation and asset. Our presence, guaranteed by a long lease, would provide financial security for the community centre and ensure that local young people still had a community space to access. This is increasingly important with the rise in knife and youth crime across Bristol, with the youth services provided by Full Circle Docklands needed now more than ever.

The nursery today is a thriving 56 place setting employing 16 early years professionals. Being smaller than many nurseries it truly offers a home-from-home environment, and led by the wonderful Kellie the team work hard to nurture, support and develop the children in our care. Reflecting on our key organisational principles, having a nursery in this setting was always important to us. There are very few nurseries nearby, and those that are nearby offer hours which aren’t always suitable for working families. We wanted to make sure that we were able to provide a nursery accessible for local working families, or professionals working in Bristol city centre. The feedback we receive from families is that we provide just that - and that without us being located in the community they would have struggled to find suitable childcare.

Beyond delivering the EYFS, we are heavily involved in the local community, and ensure that our team, most of whom live very locally, are able to bring their communities and cultures into the nursery. The nursery’s annual coming together tea this year to celebrate Black History Month showcased traditional music, dance and dress from some of our team’s cultures, and celebrating events like Jamaican Independence Day forms a core part of our curriculum. We’re also heavily involved with other local partners, working with the St Paul’s Partnership, contributing to local litter picks and supporting and working with local arts organisations such as Circomedia.

Being heavily rooted in this wonderful, vibrant community brings so much to the nursery, and being able to open in a central location and building means we can be accessible to local people, when sometimes school sites might not be.

Raised in Bristol at The Greenway Centre, Southmead

Our light, bright and airy nursery overlooking Badock’s Wood in north Bristol is the newest addition to the Raised In family. Just a few years’ old, this nursery provides a wonderful free-flow space, conveniently located for people working at Southmead Hospital, or living nearby in the popular family areas of Henleaze, Westbury-on-Trym, Brentry and Southmead. We’re also just a stone’s throw away from the new Brabazon development, with plenty of on-site parking and a cafe and gym located in The Greenway Centre. Needless to say, we are delighted to be able to support this brilliant community centre!

While our city centre nurseries have culture right on their doorstep, at the Greenway Centre we’re blessed to have big open green spaces at our disposal. And even better, we have qualified Forest School educators too! Being able to tailor our curriculum for each site means that the children truly become familiar with, and passionate about, their local community. Exploring the local woods and outside space teaches the children about the environment, in a way that makes sense to them and in spaces they’re likely to visit with families as they get older.

Being based at the Greenway Centre also offers lots of opportunities for families and the team to connect with their local area too. The wonderful cafe, Cafe des Amis, is located in the heart of the Community Centre, and there’s a gym and lots of other facilities and activities going on on any given day. Opposite the nursery is a popular and busy local GPs surgery, and we’re very close to the local library too.

Just like our other community-based nurseries, we get involved in as many events as possible! In 2024 we loved being part of the Southmead Festival, and making rattles as part of the first Hoo-Ha! Festival in Southmead with Bristol Beacon. We’re proud to be part of the Southmead community, able to support lots of other community partners and initiatives above and beyond providing our high-quality early years education and care.

Both our city centre nursery in St Pauls, and our north Bristol nursery in Southmead have spaces available for immediate start! Get in touch to arrange a tour, or to find out more about our pioneering business model. 

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Things to do in Bristol with the kids this winter (part one)

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Community-based nurseries; an intro to our community nurseries in the heart of Easton