04.05.05 - First Organic Nursery In Scotland - back
First Organic Nursery In Scotland To Open In Lothians
Katie Emslie
Scotsman.com
30 April 2005
Would you be willing to pay more for your child to ‘go organic’ at nursery?
IT is the ultimate for environmentally-conscious parents looking to give their children the best start in life.
Everything from the freshly-prepared food to the non-disposable nappies will be organic at Scotland’s greenest nursery. Even the baby cream will be produced to environmentally-friendly guidelines.
Nathalie Hollerin, 28, hopes to capitalise on a growing trend when she opens Scotland’s first totally organic nursery at Loanhead this summer.
A chef will prepare all the children’s meals with wholefood ingredients including produce from the nursery’s vegetable patch. The youngsters will also play their part in tending the garden to help them learn about nature.
Miss Hollerin, said: "A lot of my friends who have children try to give them organic food whenever possible. Even mums who don’t eat organic food themselves like to feed it to their babies, and it’s getting more and more popular.
"When I first came up with the idea about five years ago, I was really surprised to find it would be the first organic nursery in Scotland. I felt sure other people would be doing it too. I think it’s really important to learn good diet and exercise habits when you’re young, especially with all these warnings about obesity being on the rise in Britain.
"My nursery will support people who choose to bring up their kids in an organic way.
"With so many other nurseries, all the good work parents put in at home can be undone if their children are fed things like Turkey Twizzlers at nursery."
Miss Hollerin and her fiancé Darren McMillan, who are expecting their first child in November, are converting their Loanhead home to create the nursery. Little Hawthorn will cater for babies and children up to five years old.
As well as a healthy diet, the nursery will promote exercise with junior dance sessions and plenty of toys which will keep the youngsters on the go. Its staff will include a manager, and a chef.
Miss Hollerin is currently in talks with organic suppliers to source eco-friendly nappies and creams.
Fraser Hutchison, director of family-run company the Scottish Nappy Company Limited, believes Miss Hollerin’s nursery may be very successful based on the growing interest in ecologically-sound nappies among Scottish parents.
He said: "Even some nappies labelled bio-degradable go into landfill. Re-usable pure cotton nappies leave the smallest ecological footprint, as well as encouraging wee ones to grow out of nappies sooner.
"This is because they will become aware of when they need their nappy changed far sooner than a baby wearing a disposable nappy."
Miss Hollerin said the charges were likely to be only slightly higher than standard nursery costs, perhaps around £160 a week compared to £150 a week at many city nurseries. But she believes many parents will be happy to pay the extra for peace of mind.
THE FACTS
SALES of organic produce have rocketed in Britain over the last year.
Figures from the Soil Association, which campaigns for organic food and farming, show sales of organic food are now worth £1.12 billion and sales are growing by £2 million a week - twice the rate of the general grocery market. This marks a ten per cent increase since last year.
Scotland has more than half of all organically managed land in the UK - 373,249 hectares across 683 farms.
Around two-thirds of Scottish shoppers buy some organic food, making them the second biggest consumers of organic food in the UK.
Organic baby food sales have risen in Britain by almost six per cent since November 2003, now accounting for almost half of all baby food sold.
