A SCARBOROUGH outpost of the successful York-based Happy Jays children's day nursery has opened for business.

Child care staff at the new purpose-built £850,000 investment were this week preparing to welcome the first intake of children to the centre in Hopper Hill Road on Scarborough Business Park.

It will provide more than 80 day care places for youngsters aged from three months to five years. About 28 jobs will have been created by the time the nursery grows to full capacity.

The nursery is the third facility started by husband and wife team Tony and Jacqui Gernon. They already run centres at Clifton Moor, York, and Boroughbridge, and on the strength of their success, Jacqui was a finalist in last year's Business Personality Of The Year in the Evening Press Business Awards.

She said: "There is a big demand from local families and employers for high quality childcare provision and we're delighted to be up and running."

The Scarborough nursery features areas designed to cater specifically for the needs of all pre-school age groups.

Facilities include self-contained rooms for babies, toddlers and pre-school children, a fully equipped kitchen, separate dining room and a large outdoor recreation area with a range of play equipment.

Three years after the 1996 launch of the first Happy Jays in Boroughbridge the company became the first nursery business in North Yorkshire to achieve Investor In People status.

Updated: 09:32 Friday, May 06, 2005