A day nursery goes from strength to strength in rural Mid Wales

Nearly 15 years ago, Dwynwen Davies fulfilled a lifelong dream of launching her own nursery in Cellan, Lampeter. Y Dyfodol nursery is a Welsh language nursery which provides day care, school pickups, after-school club and holiday care.

An assessment by Care Inspectorate Wales has seen y Dyfodol receive the best feedback they’ve since opening, including “People who run the setting have an innovative vision for the future of their business, which they share with parents and carers of children. They consistently review and share their policies and statement of purpose with parents. They respond instantly if changes are needed within the service to ensure children’s safety. They fully comply with regulations and exceed the National Minimum Standards.”

Despite being hit by a fire in 2017, and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Dyfodol has come back fighting and the owner, Dwynwen Davies, wants to take this opportunity to make people aware that they should never give up on their dreams.

After the Cellan Primary school close its doors more than 40 years ago, Dwynwen carried out extensive renovation on the building, and in 2007 with her highly trained and dedicated staff, it was time to bring back an educational place for children as they opened the doors to y Dyfodol for the first time.

Continuing to go from strength to strength, providing high quality childcare provision and employment for many local people, y Dyfodol was a perfect example of how a young local person with a lot of determination, passion and hard work could make a successful business in Ceredigion.

However, in October 2017, tragedy struck and the nursery was badly damaged by a fire that ripped through the building. With over 200 children registered with the nursery at the time, it not only impacted the business but the area as a whole as parents were left with no childcare. At this time, the nursery did not think it would reopen its doors again, but through the support of everyone around them the Dyfodol reopened its doors once again in May 2018.

With the Dyfodol back in business once again, the children of the local community aged from birth to 12 years were able to receive a fun and welcoming ‘home from home’ educational facility once again.

But in 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic, as with many other businesses, y Dyfodol had to temporarily shut once again. With many businesses shutting permanently, y Dyfodol were not sure if they would ever reopen, but yet again y Dyfodol came back stronger than ever and opened their doors.

Now in 2021, y Dyfodol is continuing its growth, with a record number of children on the books, and employing many local people, their most recent assessment has left the owner and staff bursting with pride.

Y Dyfodol owner, Dwynwen Davies says “Owning a nursery and providing the best possible Welsh childcare provision to the wonderful children of this community has been a lifelong dream. I’m very lucky to have such wonderful and hard-working staff who always give 110%. We are truly grateful to everyone who supports us, and we are very grateful to those who trust us with their children who we care for like they’re our own. We’ve been through some hard times, but if there’s one thing that has become evident throughout is that with hard work and perseverance, y Dyfodol will keep growing from strength to strength to support these wonderful children through their growth and development.”