The Duchess, the Detective and the Rollercoaster …
I love a sense of connection and see the role of nurseries as being critical in helping to connect communities across the generations. This week the history of connection came…
LEYF News and CEO Blog
Read the latest news and updates from our CEO and the wider LEYF team.
The next round of applause is on me…
I have not written a blog for a week because some of you said you could not keep up with my output. Others have since asked ‘where is the blog?’…
Collecting Ministers like ‘Top Trumps’
This week has been rather a fest of networking, the most noteworthy of which was one evening and one day attending the Conservative Party Conference. A Conference virgin, I was…
When the cows come up to you, just sing
Last weekend I went to Paddington Farm to help them celebrate their 25 years anniversary. A joyous occasion with…
The new vision for Early Years
The Department for Education and the Department of Health have published the Government’s vision for the foundation years. In their own words… It is…
How do you measure SROI at a social enterprise garden party?
On Friday, 1st July, over 200 LEYF staff – now spread across Barking & Dagenham, Camden, Tower Hamlets and Westminster – came together in the beautiful garden…
Childhood futures in Dublin’s fair city
This week I went to visit Dara Hogan at Fledglings Nurseries, part of An Cosán, a community organisation and charity in…
Getting down to business: survival tactics for any good social enterprise
It’s always interesting to meet television journalists up close and personal – and that’s exactly what I did on Wednesday, when LEYF Chair of Trustees, Tim Willis…
Early Years, Dragons and Dolly Parton… or how bankers became our new best friends
The last few weeks have been a bit of an intellectual whirlwind, which always gets me really excited. So for those people who think working with children is all about…
Sing a song of sixpence
The year is once again fast drawing to a close. Each one seems to go by faster and faster; and this one especially was twelve months at quick march time.