Ecclesfield Nursery
Esther Welsh
Early Years Manager
Esther ran her own very busy childminding business for 12 years and has 3 children of her own. She is Level 3 qualified in childcare along with communication, language and SEN training. She loves reading about new approaches to childcare and past educational pioneers.
In her spare time she enjoys outdoor climbing, abseiling and long walks in the peaks with her children and their dog Ludo. She loves to be anywhere in nature, as it is just so beautiful and peaceful. However she doesn’t do boats as she gets very sea sick! Her favourite animals are highland cows but she is not quite sure if she would want to be one herself!
Esther’s favourite activity with the children is outdoor play. She loves watching the children grow in confidence as they join in with risky play. Her favourite thing about her role is watching the children grow and develop, and she says being part of that process is an amazing feeling.
Her favourite meal is steak and she always has it medium rare/rare as she thinks the fat is the best part – yum! The craziest thing she has ever done is abseiling off a bridge! That’s really impressive!
Aoife O’Regan
Deputy Early Years Manager
Aoife has a degree in Early Years Education & Care and over 10 years’ experience within the field. She loves being part of the children’s development and watch their personalities grow in front of her. Seeing the children hitting a milestone or achieving a certain skill they couldn’t seem to grasp brings her great joy. Aoife says her best quality is her positivity. She will always remain positive and has a strong can-do attitude.
In her spare time Aoife enjoys going on long walks and reading books. She especially enjoys books by Cathy Glass as she writes about children in care which combines her understanding of children with her enjoyment of reading. Aoife likes to challenge herself with the different scenarios in the stories and question what she would do in these situations to develop her skills even further.
One of her lecturers during her studies once said “except nothing and question everything” which inspired Aoife to never just accept the first answer and always dig deeper to become a better practitioner and achieve the best for the children in her care.
Her favourite place in the world is Disneyland Paris because it is a magical place where you can leave all your worries behind. No wonder Aoife would love to be Tinkerbell for a day and spread joy and magic as well as being able to fly. If she could be an animal she would be a dolphin as they are playful, fun and love to explore and her superhero name would be Captain Kindness as this is a big aspect of what she values within her practice along with her everyday life.
Gemma Parker
Nursery Administrator
Gemma joined Elmore in November 2021 and has a NVQ Level 3 Qualification in Nursery Nursing.
Gemma loves to spend quality time with her two children and her husband, going for walks, crafting or baking their speciality – rocky road. She describes herself as kind and considerate and says her children inspire her every day.
Her favourite Disney Character is Olaf as he is funny, outgoing and best of all loves all things summer – just like her! The craziest thing Gemma has ever done is going to the top of the empire state building during her honeymoon. For someone who doesn’t like heights it was very frightening!
If she could be an animal she would be a sloth as it would be great to be lazy and sleep all day, something she doesn’t have the chance to do with two children!
Becky Dexter
Lead Senior Early Years Practitioner
Becky is Level 3 qualified in childcare and has 15 years’ experience working with children. Watching the children develop and learn new skills and being part of helping them reach new milestones is her favourite part of her role.
In her spare time Becky likes to spend time with her family and friends and going for long walks. Her parents are the people who inspire Becky the most as they have made her into the woman she is today.
Becky’s favourite activities to do with the children are craft activities as she loves seeing the children have fun and develop new skills. She says her best qualities are being caring, patient and understanding.
Her favourite place in the world is Greece, she spent a lot of time there as a child on family holidays and also had an amazing time there on her honeymoon. If Becky could be an animal she would be a penguin as so they are so cute and make friends for life.
Ashleigh Turley
Senior Early Years Practitioner
Ashleigh is Level 3 qualified in childcare and education and says her favourite part about her role is knowing that she makes a difference in the lives of the children she looks after.
The craziest thing Ashleigh has ever done is going to Australia at 16 with her best friend and having to navigating around Dubai airport on their layover by themselves. In her spare time Ashleigh loves spending her weekends going to watch small Sheffield bands.
Ashleigh’s favourite activity to do with the children is messy play as the children get so much out of it and Ashleigh lovesseeing how happy it makes them getting messy.
Her favourite place in the world is a little village on the outskirts of Manchester, called Lymm. Her nan and great grandparents grew up there and whenever she visits it just feels like home. Ashleigh says her best qualities are her patience and her ability to remain calm in stressful situations.
Beth Walker
Senior Early Years Practitioner
Beth is Level 6 qualified in Early Childhood Studies and has been working in baby rooms for the last 2 years.
In her spare time Beth likes to do different sports such as scuba diving, ice skating and climbing. Her favourite place in the world is the ocean as it is so beautiful and mysterious.
Messy play is Beth’s favourite activity to do with the children as she loves the look on the children’s faces when they realise that they are allowed to make a mess and have fun.
Beth would like to be the Genie for a day so she could grant lots of wishes. Her mum’s mac and cheese is her absolute favourite meal. The craziest thing Beth has ever done is wild swimming with dolphins in Egypt.
Seeing the children progress and learn new things such as walking and talking and knowing that she had a part to play in their development is Beth’s favourite thing about her job. She says being able to smile even when things are getting stressful is her best quality.
Caroline Woodcock
Senior Early Years Practitioner
Caroline has 25 years of experience in working with children. She holds several qualifications; Diploma in Nursery Nursing (NNEB) Level 3, Early Childhood Studies Level 4, Teaching & Learning Assistant Level 3, Safeguarding Lead & SENCO qualifications. She says the best part of her job is sharing inspiring ideas, so children have the best learning opportunities.
Her favourite place is St. Ives in Cornwall. Caroline loves the stunning sunsets and beautiful beaches with their clear water, and she has made lots of memories there with her family. Bangers & mash is Caroline’s favourite meal, but she loves anything her mum cooks as she is an exceptional cook. Her mum is also her greatest inspiration because she has faced many challenges with her health but overcomes them without losing her spirit and is always smiling and being positive.
Caroline’s favourite activity to do with the children is singing, dancing and reading stories. She loves to make characters come alive in stories using various voices and keeping the children entertained, bringing everyone together and having lots of fun. Caroline says her best qualities are being an effective communicator, a good listener, as well as being patient and a great team player.
In her spare time Caroline enjoys spending time with her family, visiting various places and going on long walks in the countryside. She also loves to relax with her cats and having cuddles. No wonder she would choose to be a house cat if she could be an animal for a day so she could relax and sleep all day and gets lots of cuddles herself.
Hollie Cadman
Senior Early Years Practitioner
Hollie has a Level 2 Early Years and Level 3 Teaching Assistant Qualification and is currently working towards her Level 3 Qualification in Early Years. To build good relationships with the children and their families, Hollie focuses on open communication, trust and creating a welcoming environment for everyone involved. Her favourite part of her role is being part of such an amazing team.
If Hollie could be an animal, she would like to be a giraffe as she would love to have their long neck and be able to see everything. Her all-time favourite meal is lasagne and garlic bread with salad.
Hollie loves to do anything creative with the children as it allows them to express themselves and create new ideas of their own. She says her best quality is being organised and always being on the ball, she also has a very loving and caring personality.
In her spare time Hollie likes to spend time with her family and be outdoors. If she could be a Disney character, she would choose Alice in wonderland so she could be really small.
