Leeds nursery celebrates Mother’s Day with three generations of the same family

The company, which operates five sites across Leeds, was set up almost 30 years ago by Marguerite Hallas and husband Geoff - and is a family business in every sense.

The business is now run by the couple’s daughter Vicky and her husband Gary, and employs numerous staff from across two generations of the same family and, in some cases, as grandchildren come into the mix, three generations can be found under one roof.

Operations manager Tracy Windle started her career with Little People when the company opened its first site in Stanningley almost 30 years ago, working her way through childcare qualifications to assessor level. Her daughter Charlotte and daughter-in-law Kelly now work at Bramley as early educators, and daughter-in-law Michelle has recently joined the team as the nursery cook. Their children, Tracey’s grandchildren, are also ‘Little People’ attending the nursery.

Tracy said: ‘’If you’d said to me on my first day that three generations of my family would end up under the same roof working and playing together I’d never have believed you! But I’ve loved working for the company and, seeing me so happy in my work, my daughter and daughters-in-law chose to join me.

“Marguerite and Vicky have built an extremely family-friendly workplace and it’s a pleasure to come to work, with the added bonus of seeing my family at the different sites. As operations manager I visit our five settings regularly so it’s great to see familiar family faces.”

As well as Tracy and family, Little People’s 120-strong team currently includes five pairs of mothers and daughters, as well as another three-generation family at its Stanningley nursery.

Vicky Hallas-Fawcett, director at Little People, said: “I saw my mum building up her business from a young age and it was a natural step for me to join her and my dad, training initially in Accountancy, then Childcare and ultimately achieving Early Years Professional Status.

“We have a fantastic team and what better endorsement could we have than mums wanting to bring their daughters to work with us? Mothers Day is the perfect time to celebrate our family business.”

Little People Nurseries owns and manages four sites across Leeds - at Bramley, Farsley, Stanningley and Alwoodley; and one at Heckmondwike - and provides childcare for over 600 families across the region.