'The last 12 months have exceeded all our expectations': Northern Ireland childcare provider creates jobs following £400,000 seaside expansion
Lisburn’s Helping Hands Day Care Ltd reports strong demand at former school site as Bank of Ireland-backed investment boosts early years capacity in the area
A £400,000 expansion by Northern Ireland childcare provider Helping Hands Day Care Ltd has driven growth at its new Ballycastle facility, creating 12 jobs with more expected as demand rises.
The Lisburn-based company’s expansion was supported by Bank of Ireland and involved the extensive renovation of the former Barnish High School premises. The project transformed the site into a modern childcare facility offering wraparound care for children aged from three months to 12 years.
The investment has boosted local childcare capacity at a time of rising demand, while also contributing to employment in the area. The business is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Norman and Deborah Murton, who led the redevelopment of the site to support long-term growth and service delivery.
Deborah, co-owner Helping Hands Day Care said: "We are delighted to see the success of our Ballycastle site. Our quality childcare provision has been in demand from day one - as we support working families across the local area.
"We have grown rapidly in our first year starting with a single child to now having on average 30 children per day, and with the scale of our investment, further places are still available, so we invite local families to get in touch.
"With our wealth of experience in running our Lisburn nursery, we have been excited to bring our ethos of making every child feel individual and valued to Ballycastle.”
Key features of the 6,000 sq. ft premises set in an acre site include large outdoor spaces with both grassed areas and tarmacked playground for play in all weathers. A large gymnasium enabling free play even in poor weather along with a variety of stimulating resources including wet play and sand play.
Two managers on site have over 20 years’ experience in childcare and the business has also employed 12 staff from the local area. Training up to management level ensures staff are qualified to provide the best possible daycare while also enabling professional development and fulfilling longer-term local career goals.
Norman, co-owner Helping Hands Day care added: "The last 12 months have exceeded all our expectations. The former school premises was too good an opportunity to miss, and it is an approach and business model that has worked very well for us.
"Bank of Ireland supported us in our launch in Lisburn and they saw our vision for Ballycastle and have done everything they can to enable us to make a success of this opportunity. We are excited to see our brand expand into new areas of Northern Ireland and we’re of course open to more opportunities should they arise."
Greg Liddle, business manager, Bank of Ireland added: "We are delighted to continue our journey with Helping Hands Daycare. The success the business has seen over the last twelve months demonstrates the importance of high-quality childcare provision locally, making an enormous difference to families and contributing to the local area’s economic vitality. We wish Norman, Deborah and the team continued success with the business and look forward to supporting their continued growth."