There’s nothing quite like seeing children you once taught turn up with children of their own to make you wonder where the years have gone. For Woodpeckers founders Jeff and Deirdre Micklewright, it’s also a reason to celebrate.

Seventeen years between photographs

In 2009, three-year-old Mizelli Walker appeared in a publicity photograph with room leader Joan Scott to mark the nursery’s new door entry system. Mizelli stayed at Woodpeckers until she started school.

Seventeen years later, her daughter, Azariah Reed, has started at the same nursery. Joan returned to help recreate the photograph, this time with the next generation.

For Mizelli, choosing Woodpeckers was an easy decision.

“I am absolutely over the moon to have my daughter attending Woodpeckers,” she said. “Even when I was pregnant, I knew that was where I wanted to send her. Being a first-time mum can be worrying, so knowing she is going somewhere I attended as a child, where I felt safe and made so many happy memories, has been incredibly reassuring.”

Several of the staff who cared for Mizelli still work at the nursery.

“Knowing that my daughter is now being cared for by some of the same people who cared for me all those years ago is very special,” she added.

Mizelli remembers trips to Hollow Tree Farm with Jeff and Deirdre, and was particularly pleased to see Joan again.

“As a child, I became particularly attached to Joan. She was always so caring and kind. It was lovely to see her again after all these years and find that she was just as kind as I remembered.”

Joan joined Woodpeckers in August 2001, shortly after it opened. She worked there until 2013, then returned as a weekly volunteer until the coronavirus lockdown. She still visits from time to time.

From six children to 25 years in business

Jeff and Deirdre opened Woodpeckers in January 2001 with six children and 11 members of staff. Today, it can care for up to 84 children and employs a team of 22.

The nursery expanded in 2005, adding a conservatory to the baby room and more space for toddlers. Plans have now been agreed for a new outdoor shelter.

Woodpeckers has held a Good Ofsted rating throughout its history, with a number of areas judged Outstanding. It has also been a finalist in a parent-nominated award and received an Investors in People award.

But seeing families return is a highlight for Jeff, even if it does bring home how much time has passed.

“Children we once taught in school have since brought their own children to the nursery,” he said. “It is always exciting, although it does make you feel old!”

Congratulations to Jeff, Deirdre and the Woodpeckers team on 25 years of caring for Sudbury’s children. It’s lovely to see former pupils choosing the same nursery for their own families.

Woodpeckers Private Nursery is based in Sudbury, Suffolk. If you’re looking for a family run nursery for your children. Visit their profile on thebestof Sudbury or website here