A POPULAR chain of childrens' nurseries in York has been bought out.

One of the largest networks of nurseries in the UK, The Old Station Nursery Group, has acquired Little Green Rascals (LGR).

The York chain caters for more than 1,300 families across its seven locations, looking after 550 children per day.

In 2021 they employed 240 staff and today they have sites in Tadcaster Road, Elvington Lane, Bishopthorpe, Flaxton, Haxby, Minster Yard and Poppleton, six of which have been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Read next:

Founded in 2009 by mother-of-three and entrepreneur Vanessa Warn, LGR were York’s first organic and eco-conscious children’s day nursery and have built up a portfolio of nursery sites and an after-school club in the city of York and surrounding areas.

Vanessa said: “My family and I have absolutely loved every minute of our Little Green Rascals journey but feel the time is right to integrate “LGR” into a larger group of nurseries as it enters the next chapter of its journey.

"I know in my heart that Old Station Nurseries are the perfect fit and will nurture the team and our families. I am immensely proud of what we’ve created and how absolutely fantastic my staff team are. I’ll miss them, all our Rascals and their families very much but leave confident that the legacy will continue to be outstanding.

"I am looking forward to supporting TOSN as they integrate LGR into their network. We share a lot of the same principles and values, by working together we can only further enhance an outstanding offering.”

York Press: From left are Vanessa Warn, Kirsty love – head of operations at The Old Station Nursery, Claire Sephton – chief operations officer at The Old Station and Ben Warn – co-founder of Little Green RascalsFrom left are Vanessa Warn, Kirsty love – head of operations at The Old Station Nursery, Claire Sephton – chief operations officer at The Old Station and Ben Warn – co-founder of Little Green Rascals (Image: Little Green Rascals)

Old Station Nursery’s CEO, Sarah Steel said: “We are committed to building upon the amazing, unique ethos that Little Green Rascals has established in being eco-friendly, with an emphasis on gentle childcare and children’s development through being in touch with nature across its sites in York.

"Our aim is to ensure that every child in our care receives the highest quality of support and education possible, while fostering a love of learning and respect for the environment. We are delighted that parents, children and staff at Little Green Rascals are joining our family and we look forward to meeting everyone in the coming months.”

The purchase means that The Old Station Nursery Group now cares for more than 5,000 children daily across 78 nurseries. The group has expanded rapidly since it became part of La Maison Bleue, the leading childcare provider in Switzerland and the third largest provider in both France and Luxembourg, since 2019.

LGR opened its first nursery in Elvington in 2009 and was the first nursery in the North of England to receive a Gold Award from the Soil Association alongside many more industry awards.