"It's been really fun branching out": Family run Apple Tree Day Nursery celebrates 20th anniversary
Twenty years of hard work and dedication are being celebrated at Apple Tree Day Nursery which is starting to branch out by launching new sites.
The boutique nursery, located in London Road, Hilsea, was founded by Sharon Oakey back in 2006 with stimulating and fun learning at its heart.
Lloyd said: “We are celebrating our 20th anniversary - We opened in 2006 and it’s a family business so my mother started it and then I took over in January 2022.
“Most of my family have been involved in some way so to take it to different sites is amazing. In the summer of 2025, I took over a nursery up the road and we renamed it Cherry Tree Day Nursery which has been great. It’s been really cool, it’s been really fun branching out and building the brand because it was just us on our own.
“We’ve been here for 20 years and we’ve had to go through things like Covid which was a really tricky time prior to me starting. It’s just cool to have family run businesses succeeding and doing well, and growing even during the harder times we’ve had.”
Apple Tree currently has multiple spaces for children including a sensory room with high tech facilities, the ladybird room for toddlers, the caterpillar room, the butterfly room with educational resources, the garden and bumble bee room.
Lloyd added: “We also have plans to open a third one as well which will be called Lemon Tree Day Nursery hopefully later on this year but we are running out of fruits that grow on trees.”
Lemon Tree Day Nursery, which is currently being built, will be opening its doors in Cosham this year, with registration for April already open.