Bumbles opens new setting in Castlereagh Hills

On 23rd May, we officially opened our 5th setting aptly named Bumbles on the Hill. Welcoming a host of new families to Bumbles, we are thrilled to have found a setting where we can grow into the space and explore a larger outdoor environment around us.

Bumbles on the Hill

Our fifth setting is called Bumbles on the Hill and is just a 6 minute drive from Forestside Shopping Centre in South Belfast. Located in the Castlereagh Hills and right next door to Loughview Primary School, Bumbles on the Hill enjoys stunning views over the city and adventurous outdoor spaces for our children to explore, learn and play.

Childcare in high demand in South Belfast

Bumbles on the Hill is the first setting we have opened to offer childcare for all age groups since we opened in Rosetta in March 1993. This was strongly influenced by the demand for childcare that we continue to experience in our area. Patricia had spotted the existing building on Church Road (which was previously the Learning Tree after school group) and immediately saw the potential the site had to offer for not just another wraparound setting, but a full Day Care setting from babies through to 11 year olds.

Let the work begin…

In order to react quickly to our enquiries, we had just a couple of months to plan and reignite life into the buildings. The site is made up of an old school house and an adjoining cabin style building. We reconfigured the space in the cabin “Pods” building to allow for 4 Pods of differing age groups and re-registered them for the appropriate number of children.

We installed bathrooms and kitchenette areas in each pod to create units which were completely self contained although joined by new safety glass doors internally to give that feeling of togetherness. Walls were ripped down and rebuilt, corridors removed and new floors, windows, doors and electrics installed. We played on our wood cabin forest feel by building a veranda stretching the length of the building and adding additional patio doors to each Pod to give more outdoor access to different areas for all of our groups.

The Pods now also contain a small office, staff room and Kitchen where our wonderful in-house Cook Julie prepares home cooked lunches and nutritious snacks for the children everyday. The old school house has also been transformed into a big, beautiful, fresh and inviting space for our baby group.

Bumbles Magic Touch

No Bumbles setting would be the same without Bumbles magic touch. The love for all things natural creates and promotes a calming, yet stimulating environment for our children to explore. You will see large branches hanging from ceilings, fairy lights sprinkled throughout, plenty of natural wood surfaces and outdoorsy wallpaper to reflect our outdoor environment.

Our Team

Our new adventure has given opportunity to our existing team to further develop in their Childcare Careers. We have promoted and appointed a host of new Coordinators at Bumbles to lead our Bumbles on the Hill team. We have welcomed and will continue to welcome lots of new faces as we grow. Click here to see our team.

If interested in a place for your child at Bumbles on the Hill, please keep an eye on our Availability page which will be updated as soon as spaces become available in our groups.