Nursery manager appointed to lead pioneering intergenerational nursery

Highly experienced childcare specialist, Ruth Sandbach, has been appointed to lead what will be the region’s first intergenerational nursery that is fully integrated into a care setting.

The Nursery in Belong opens this month and will provide a high quality care and learning environment for up to twenty-five children aged from birth up to five years old and will be open six days a week.

Located within the dementia specialist’s state-of-the-art care village on City Road, the nursery will promote learning and connection across multiple generations and will provide access to a range of spaces, including a secure outdoor play area, a creative studio and a library.

Nursery manager, Ruth, brings nearly thirty years’ childcare experience to the post, including fifteen in a range of leadership roles. With a wealth of knowledge and expertise, her experience spans nursery and organisational management, multi-agency partnership working, curriculum and safeguarding. Working alongside Ruth will be Deputy Nursery Manager, Jo Arblaster, who also fields an impressive track record in early childhood development.

Commenting on her appointment, Ruth said: “I’ve always been passionate about child development and early learning, so having the unique opportunity to work in the region’s first integrated intergenerational nursery is exciting. The team aims to create a vibrant community where all can gain from sharing with each other, socialising and just being around one another. We all believe children, residents and families will benefit from this greatly and we can’t wait to see relationships being formed.”

The Nursery in Belong Chester is operated by partner organisation, Ready Generations, a national charity and advocate of intergenerational practice and provision.

Sue Egersdorff, founder of Ready Generations, said: “I’m delighted to be welcoming Ruth to the team. Her background gives her a particular understanding of childcare environments and we believe she can bring the vision that we have for the nursery to life. A great deal of care and thought has gone into preparing the nursery environment, developing the curriculum and creating exciting experiences for the children and residents to share.”

Ahead of its opening, the team have already undertaken special training to better understand the needs of the young and old in this particular setting so that they can provide them with bespoke and memorable experiences.

Linking into the nursery team, Belong’s newly appointed intergenerational practice lead, Sophie McKeon, will provide the interface between the village and the nursery, helping to create opportunities for shared multi-generational experiences, as well as implementing intergenerational experiences and strategy across the not-for-profit organisation.

Drop-in days to view the nursery and new care village will be held on 16th, 20th, 25th and 30th July. People can also arrange a personal tour by emailing:

hello@nurseryinbelong.org.uk

... or calling 01244 470570.

Belong Limited is a charitable organisation, operating villages with a range of care, housing and support options for older people, as well as extensive amenities in the village centre. These include bistro, hair salon, specialist exercise studio and function rooms. People can choose to live independently in a Belong apartment or within a supported 24-hour care environment.

Belong specialises in supporting people with dementia, and 24-hour care is provided in extended family-sized households, with modern open plan layouts specially designed around the needs of people with dementia. All employees working in Belong villages are trained in dementia awareness, from domestic assistants through to bistro staff. The organisation is also a registered domiciliary provider and can support people in their own home, through its Belong at Home service.

There are seven Belong villages in Atherton, Crewe, Didsbury, Macclesfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Wigan and Warrington, with two more under construction in Birkdale and Wirral. Belong Chester is set to open in July 2022.

For more information, see:

www.belong.org.uk

Pictured - Ruth Sandbach the nursery manager