The Founders Series: Jeannie and Stewart Pickering #1

“If you believe you’re doing something right, you weave your way through with honesty and integrity” - Jeannie Pickering This pair of hippies (really they lived in a commune in the 60s) who became entrepreneurs are sharing their incredible journey in our first Back To The Garden podcast. Everything they did came from a place of integrity and passion to create something that didn’t exist in the UK. Starting with their first Kidsunlimited nursery in the 80s in Wilmslow, they then were the first company to create workplace nurseries, including collaborating with Anita Roddick, the powerhouse who founded The Body Shop. Training was also vital and we’ll discover how they created a training that then became NVQ’s, allowing women returners to become empowered, this programme won the Secretary Of State award and is now part of the NVQ model still used today. Design was key as Jeannie believes the environment is ‘the third teacher’. Working with renowned architect Roger Stephenson their innovative spaces won awards. They were part of the Hulme Regeneration project creating the St Mary’s nursery making childcare accessible to the community there. They have strong roots and built something from humble beginnings and changed the face of childcare, ending up with 64 nurseries across the country. Their drive came from pure passion to create the best possible spaces for children to grow and be nurtured. Drawing inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach their philosophy was always to have the child at the centre with a focus on creativity, outdoor play and treating each child as an individual. This story is interesting to not only those in the childcare sector and parents but to anyone who has a dream. Yes, there were ups and downs but they came back fighting because it was all born from a belief. Every step of the way each achievement came from a lack of something in the sector and this is why they were considered trail blazers who changed the future of childcare forever. We discuss their incredible journey from Kidsunlimited to the present day where they now founded a new nursery, Back To The Garden Childcare with the McGoff Group. Now, here they are as the ‘forever young’ elders. All elders have stories and this one is a real gem. “The nursery is a family of parents, children and staff.” Stewart Thank you for listening to our very first episode!! We’d be so grateful if you could take 2 minutes to leave us a review on your preferred podcast app. Please share with anyone who you think would love to listen. This podcast is sponsored by Kit + Kin https://kitandkin.com/ Recorded at LBS, Stockport and produced by Simon Galloway. https://lbs.co.uk/ Hosted by Sadie Pickering. Original Music by Sadie Pickering featuring musicians Dan J Logan and Jay Ansill. Follow our nursery on @backtothegardenchildcare on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. For more more in depth show notes with timings and resources head to https://www.backtothegardenchildcare.com/podcast/