The woman who opened Huntly’s first nursery more than three decades ago has called the business a “community collaboration”.
Elizabeth Morrison co-owns The Kindergarten Huntly and has done since 1994 when it first opened its doors on Steven Road.
With no formal childcare facilities in the area, the community came together to open its own.
She answered our questions on her biggest struggles, achievements and more.
How and why did you start in business?
Before the community came together to open The Kindergarten Huntly, there were no formal childcare facilities locally.
We knew how important childcare services would be in helping women back into work in rural communities, so this was our main aim in setting up the business.
How did you get to where you are today?
The investment came from local businessman Forbes Shand, my husband David Morrison, and The Enterprise Trust.
We had great support from local businesses including RB Farquhar, who supplied the buildings, and Dean’s of Huntly who sponsored the original site.
Getting the business off the ground in 1994 was a real community collaboration, and over the past 30 years we’ve gone from strength to strength.
Who helped you?
It’s taken hard work and long hours, but David and the whole family have been very supportive. David’s business experience is in finance, and he gave me sound financial advice even when I didn’t want to hear it!
I have a great team of dedicated ladies in the nursery. Most of the management team and staff have been with us for many years.
Also, the local families who continue to support our nursery have been amazing. We’re now caring for the second generation of some families.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?
Budget is key and sticking to the budget is even more important. Forward planning is crucial and being able to react to situations in a calm manner.
What is your biggest mistake?
For a long time, I thought that I could do most of the critical things in business by myself.
It took building up a strong management team to appreciate that this is not always the case.
What is your greatest achievement?
Celebrating our 30th anniversary last year. It was great to see past and present families all together at our celebration event in Huntly.
How are you managing the rising cost of doing business?
This is becoming increasingly difficult, especially with issues such as the rise in employers’ national insurance contributions.
With this increase just around the corner in April, I know it’s something the Federation of Small Businesses is lobbying the Government on right now.
We also try to shop locally as much as possible. Larger suppliers don’t always offer the best value, so if it’s available locally, we do what we can.
What do you still hope to achieve?
In 2024 we were given an excellent Care Inspectorate report, which is testament to the hard work of the whole team.
Our aim is to maintain and build upon the standards that we’ve already achieved.
How could the Government or Council support your ambitions?
The Scottish Government and the local authority need to engage more with small businesses.
The Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) early years sector is largely ignored and grossly underfunded.
The 1140 funded hours are great to help with childcare fees for parents. However, we’re not involved in the planning and the strategy behind the process.
Those in power need to look at the full picture when implementing childcare plans and it’s imperative that small businesses have a voice at the table at the planning stage.
We need to have meaningful talks before there is any further expansion on funded childcare.
Conversation