A Wiltshire nursery has changed hands after its previous owners semi-retired following more than two decades in charge.
Heathcote House Nursery, on Southbroom Road in Devizes, has been bought by Wishford Education, a group of independent prep and senior schools, for an undisclosed price.
The sale comes after the former owners, Keith and Jean Hudson, decided to semi-retire after over 20 years at the helm, in order to spend more time abroad.
Mr Hudson revealed that the pair felt the time was right for the nursery to “progress to its next phase.”
He said: “Jean and I have greatly enjoyed growing Heathcote House Nursery to its present position in Devizes, during our 20-plus years of stewardship.
“We now feel it is the right time for Heathcote to progress to its next phase and we have tried hard to find the appropriate organisation to take up the baton. We think we have done this with Wishford Education.
“It is a youthful, energetic, and well-resourced organisation with the same goal as us: to provide the highest quality of care and education possible to ensure the best start in life for each individual child.
“We would like to give everyone associated with the nursery - children, parents and staff - our very best wishes for the future, and look forward to hearing many more good things about Heathcote.”
Heathcote House Nursery provides both sessional and full day care for children aged nought to five and is located in a former college building just minutes from Devizes town centre.
The premier childcare facility will now become the first standalone nursery to join the Wishford Education group.
This comes after a confidential sales process led by specialist property advisor Christie & Co.
Sam Antrobus, the executive chairman of Wishford Education, added: “As soon as I visited Heathcote House, I knew it was a perfect first-day nursery for the Wishford group.
“I was born and raised in Devizes, so I know the town well and have long been aware of the nursery’s excellent reputation.
“I have been deeply impressed with the care and commitment to excellence shown by the nursery’s leadership team and staff.
“We very much look forward to working with them to continue to provide the highest quality nursery provision in Devizes.”
Jassi Sunner, an associate director at Christie & Co, revealed that the nursery was subject to widespread interest before being snapped up by Wishford Education.
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