It is hard to believe that a whole 12 months has whizzed by after another eventful year in 2022. Before we reopen tomorrow (Tuesday 3rd January 2023) and welcome back all of our team and families to Bumbles, I wanted to quickly reflect on 2022 and acknowledge all that has been.
Team Updates
During the course of a very busy 2022, the Bumbles team has continued to go from strength to strength. We welcomed 22 wonderful new individuals to our team, some of whom helped open our new setting Bumbles on the Hill. We said a fond farewell to 13 members of our team as they moved on to pastures new. Throughout the year, we managed a rotating team effectively whilst a heavy recruitment drive was ongoing to fill new requirements, giving more of our team the opportunity to extend their knowledge and experience working with different age groups.
Celebrations
We celebrated 3 team weddings in 2022 and welcomed 3 babies (one of which started my next chapter as a grandmother). It’s not often Bumbles can get everyone together so a very special summer social that was organised by our senior team provided a great opportunity for our team to mix, and to meet more of our new faces and say hello.
We created new positions within Bumbles to facilitate further growth, development and to provide promotion opportunities. Furthermore, we promoted 9 members of our existing team into Senior Practitioners, Coordinators, Senior Coordinator, Deputy Manager and 2 Manager positions! Some members of our team achieved 10 + years of service during the course of 2022!
Training
Again, we hosted Paediatric First Aid training and this was successfully completed by 20 members of our team. We appointed 4 new ‘person in charge’ titles to our Management team after successful completion of assessments. Five members of our team also achieved their Level 3 Children’s Care Learning and Development courses resulting in promotions.
Families
Bumbles welcomed 74 new children (including siblings) to our existing settings around Rosetta and Ormeau. Since the opening of our newest setting in May, Bumbles has welcomed 63 new children and families to Bumbles on the Hill.
Community
We held our first ever fundraising event, Bumbles Pumpkin Patch at the end of October and raised an incredible £2312 towards a new Defibrillator for our local community. We successfully purchased a new Defibrillator and external cabinet and discovered a further 2 defibrillators in our local community that needed help to get registered. Following on from this fundraising, we were able to donate £500 towards Children in Need and had a special visit from Pudsey Bear in December.
Business and Development
Bumbles increased salaries in April by 10% or above to continue to be above industry standard. Some members of our team received a further increase in October through promotions and new positions. We introduced a new Management Structure which will really kick in, in 2023 to allow an increased ground support focus from the senior management team.
We refurbished and opened a new setting providing childcare from 9 months through to 11 years. Our 5th setting Bumbles on the Hill was opened on 23rd May 2023 in the Castlereagh Hills. Bumbles also increased registration of Bumbles by the Park – from 48 to 60 children to enable us to continue to meet demand in 2022!
We reviewed our menu and adapted many of our recipes to reflect increased uptake of plant based options which in turn allowed us to eliminate many allergens from our menu. Finally, we had 3 successful H&SCT Annual Inspections commending us for our high-quality standards.
Final Reflection
It is so important to think of and remember those who have lost loved ones during the past year, those who have been unwell and those who have cared for family members who have been unwell. It is my sincere wish that everyone has a Happy and Healthy 2023!
Finally, a huge thank you to our team and all of Bumbles families and friends for the continued support. We look forward to celebrating 30 years of business in 2023!
Patsy 🍄