Bury family celebrate 30 years in nursery business

Tiddlywinks Day Nursery, which has its headquarters in Bury, was set up in September 1994 by Imelda and David Mihell.

The husband-and-wife duo first opened the doors after moving into a converted farmhouse in Blackley just two days after their first son was born, with the new family living above the 18-space nursery.

They successfully branched out and now have seven establishments with more 185 spaces across Greater Manchester, including nurseries in central Bury and Walmsley, and have won multiple awards.

Imelda and David Mihell set up Tiddlywinks Day Nursery in 1994 (Image: supplied) Their son Ashley joined the fold as a financial director in 2007, with his brother Ben following four years later and taking on a role as the company’s advertising and marketing officer.

To celebrate the milestone, Imelda and David donned Minnie and Mickey Mouse costumes and hosted festival-themed parties in each of the Tiddlywinks nurseries.

Children and team members enjoyed face painting, carnival games, dancing and birthday cake.

Imelda previously worked as a nanny and deputy nursery manager before graduating from the University of Bolton with an early years degree.

She said: “It was lots of fun and seeing the children’s faces when they spotted us in the costumes brought so much happiness.

“We got lovely feedback from parents and everyone enjoyed themselves on the day.

The team hosted festival themed parties at Tiddlywinks nurseries across Greater Manchester (Image: supplied) “We’ve always been very hands on with the nurseries and know the value of having a good team around us.  

“We’ve had lots of members with us for more than 20 years and have a strong focus on internal progression and continuous development to help maintain the high standards we have.

“There is a real culture of collaboration at Tiddlywinks.

“We host weekly training programmes with teams coming from all the nurseries to get everyone together.

“I really believe that early year education is crucial and plays such an important part in children’s development.

“We value our team and love what we do. It’s wonderful.”