A Shetland childcare business has expanded into new premises after experiencing an increasing demand for services.
Peerie Foxes was officially opened by MSP Beatrice Wishart on Monday at its new facility on North Road in Lerwick.
The company secured up to £25,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to help with the fit-out of the larger facility.
The project will help to safeguard 10 jobs in Lerwick and create more jobs in the future. It is hoped it will support more than 100 adults to work, live and study in Shetland.
The private childcare provider offers daycare and occasional creche facilities to families with children under five.
Peerie Foxes is the only setting in Shetland to provide care for children under the age of one, which benefits parents who don’t have access to enhanced maternity pay and conditions and need to return to work before their child reaches its first birthday.
The business, which opened in Fox Lane in 2007, was bought by Caroline Henderson in 2011.
She said: “We are incredibly grateful to HIE for its fantastic support and its recognition of the integral part that accessible quality childcare plays in any buoyant economy.
“From the get-go, the organisation shared our vision of how improved these new facilities would be and how the investment will continue to support hard-working families now and in the future.”
Katrina Wiseman, area manager for HIE, explained that Peerie Foxes provides an “essential service” to working parents and carers in Shetland.
She said: “Without adequate childcare, staff would be affected in every sector in Shetland. Not only will this project retain jobs on the island but it will also meet the high demand for more childcare on the island.”
