Nursery staff celebrate 4,000 years of service to children

The practitioners from the day nursery on the hospital site in Cliftonville joined 200 colleagues at a special dinner marking 15 years and over at the employee owned Childbase Partnership, a UK Great Place to Work and a Sunday Times Best Place to Work 2023.

In addition to a share in cash rewards totalling nearly £160,000 so far this year, marking long service achievements from 5 years upwards at the company, the partygoers also receive an extra week of annual leave in their milestone year.

Brenda Whateley, celebrating 15 years and a member of the Nene Valley team – one of 44 award-winning company day nursery teams in England - was a single mother when she started work.

“They recognised that I had skills and relevant experience and trained me up funding both my NVQ qualifications in childcare and early years education. I love my job and get enormous satisfaction seeing children thrive and knowing I have contributed to their development,” she said.

“We are all partners in our employee-owned company which means everybody has a voice and equal share in the profits through the Partnership Dividend. It really is a great place to work, and I am enormously proud of what we achieve together,” she added.

Emma Rooney, Chief Executive Officer at Childbase Partnership – employee-owned since 2017 with 44 award-winning day nurseries in England - described her long serving colleagues as standard-bearers’ for the company’s mission to deliver outstanding outcomes for over 6,000 children.

“You are role models, mentors and a source of inspiration and motivation to your colleagues company wide. I am immensely proud to work alongside each and every one of you and look forward to seeing all of the great things I know you will accomplish in the coming years,” she said.

Additional holiday awarded in the milestone year of long service is one extra day for those reaching five years, and a week of annual leave for those achieving 10, 15, 20 and more years.