>It's the Little Things

Launching a new business is child’s play for Louise, a primary school teacher who quit her job to set up a children’s day nursery has secured a record sum from Merseyside based women’s enterprise agency, Train 2000.

Louise Waller was awarded a £20,000 Power Loan towards the new £100,000 50-place children’s day nursery in Maghull.

"It's the Little Things" as the new nursery is to be called, involved a total renovation of an existing building within Parkhaven Trust, a 42 acre Greenfield site in the centre of the town.

Seven members of staff have already been appointed and Louise is confident her employees will increase by 50% before the end of the year.

Louise, a mum of two who has spent the past eight years teaching at schools across Merseyside and her business partner, Scott McCubbin, the former editor of Entrepreneur News magazine researched childcare provision in cities as far apart as Glasgow and Birmingham.

Louise said:

It has been a full-time job setting up the nursery over the past six months. We’ve been working on it for more than three years and there have been some tough lessons, but we’re even more determined than ever to create the most prestigious nursery in north Merseyside.

Maggie O'Carroll, Executive Director for Train 2000, said:

The POWER loan fund has been extremely effective in meeting the needs of women to access funds to start their businesses.

However, until last year the loan was capped at £5,000, something we recognised was acting as a barrier to many women, leaving them under-capitalised to create more jobs and increase economic growth.

Train 2000 could see the potential of Louise's business plan and we were also impressed with the community benefits such a high quality nursery will bring.