An 'outstanding' rated, 100 place Day Nursery in Merseyside has been sold to Kids Planet

ESTABLISHED in 2007, King's Park Day Nursery, in Knowsley, Merseyside, is a premium, 100 place Day Nursery which caters for children aged 3months to 5 years. It has been rated:- 'Outstanding' by Ofsted on its last 2 inspections and boasts an impressive annual fee income and profits. The Nursery occupies a 2 storey building in the Merseyside Village of Knowsley and, since opening, has undergone extensive investment, making it the go-to Nursery in the area. The setting was previously owned by Craig Jackson and Nadine McCarthy. Following a confidential sales process, it has been sold to Kids Planet which now owns 143 day nurseries across the UK.

Craig Jackson and Nadine McCarthy, previous owners of King's Park Day Nursery, comment:- "We are delighted that Kids Planet have now acquired King's Park Day Nursery to add to their already expansive range of high quality settings. This was a difficult decision for me and Craig as we have invested so much into the business over the years and developed close relationships with staff and local families. From initial discussions, it was clear that Kids Planet had a similar ethos to us putting the needs of children and staff at the heart of their focus. We are extremely confident that Kids Planet will do an amazing job in leading the Nursery and expanding on its reputation. We are sure all the staff, parents and children will enjoy being part of the Kids planet family."

Clare Roberts, CEO at Kids Planet Day Nurseries, comments:- "We are thrilled to have acquired King's Park Day Nurseries and I am looking forward to welcoming and supporting the team. Their addition to our Kids Planet family strengthens our presence and support network within the Merseyside area and means we're now a group of 143 nurseries across the UK."

The deal was handled by Nick Brown and Sofia Beck at Christie and Co. Nick Brown, Head of Brokerage, Childcare and Education, at Christie and Co, comments:- "I'm delighted to have worked on this cracking single asset with Sofia Beck which has all the attributes buyers are looking for. Inside and out, this Nursery is 1st class with a strong management team in situ. I'm pleased to have achieved a speedy, highly confidential sale for all the owners and we wish them all the best for the future."

King's Park Day Nursery was sold for an undisclosed price.
 

Dogs Trust and the University of Salford call for volunteers to join ground breaking fireworks survey this New Year's Eve

THE  University of Salford and Dogs Trust, the UK's largest canine charity which has a re-homing centre in Merseyside, are calling on dog owners and non dog owners to be part of a ground breaking study into how fireworks and loud noises affect dogs.

The organisations have joined forces for the study, combining the University's specialist knowledge in acoustics and the charity's expertise in dog behaviour. They are now calling on the public to help them gather data as people see in the New Year with fireworks.

The ground breaking research will aim to provide an in depth understanding of the relationship between dog behaviour and features of fireworks, as well as the methods that dog owners use to try to mask the sound of fireworks. The results will give Dogs Trust's canine behaviour experts valuable insight for guidance to dog owners, and inform its policy recommendations around fireworks use.

Both dog owners and non dog owners are invited to take part in the study by completing a complete a short survey, available from:- 31 December 2022, until 8 January 2023.

Dr Sara Owczarczak Garstecka, Canine Behaviour, Research Studies Manager at Dogs Trust, is leading on the study. She says:- "Research is a vital part of Dogs Trust's work. It helps us make sure that the work we do and the advice we offer is based on evidence and can benefit and improve the welfare of dogs. All our research is carefully designed to prevent any negative impact on dogs. Nearly half of dogs in the UK are estimated to be negatively affected by fireworks. To build on our expert advice to support owners on how to help their dogs cope with the noise of fireworks, we need to develop an in-depth understanding of different dog behaviours in response to hearing fireworks. This includes how different acoustic features of fireworks impact dogs. We hope to have many volunteers take part in this exciting study, which will benefit dogs by enabling us to generate evidence based advice for owners on how best to help their 4 legged friends cope with fireworks."

The charity has collaborated with the University of Salford on the acoustic elements of the research, which will also involve some dog owners recording the sound of fireworks. The researchers will then extract the acoustic features of the sound from the recordings to determine how sound characteristics affect dog behavioural responses, recorded by dog owners in the survey.

Dr Zuzanna Podwinska, a leader on the project from the Acoustics Research Centre at the University of Salford, said:- "There is surprisingly little information or research into this area, so it is a study of vital importance. Dogs can get very distressed by fireworks so anything we can do to make the experience better for them, can only be a good thing. There are indications that dogs may be sensitive to sounds that humans can't hear, so we are interested to find out if it's not just the loudness of the fireworks or their sound level, but other acoustic characteristics."

To take part or learn more about this ground breaking project, visit the Dogs Trust website.

To register your interest in taking part in the New Year's Eve survey (open 31 December 2022 to 8 January 2023) please complete an online form today.

For Dogs Trust's advice on how to help dogs to cope with fireworks, see:- DogsTrust.Org.UK.