Our Team
Learn a bit about the adult Riversiders
Sarah
Manager
Sarah has worked in childcare for 14 years and has held management-level posts during this time. Sarah has three of her own children and lives locally with her family. The team relies on Sarah for her warmth and mothering qualities.
Speciality:
Sarah is a huge advocate of our child-led ethos after seeing this missing while working in other nurseries. She brings a children's rights perspective to all areas of the nursery. Sarah is also finding ways to enhance parent engagement - helping us connect more strongly with families and the wider community.
Addi
Nursery Owner
Addi is the owner of Riverside Cottage Nursery. He and partner Sharon Coyle opened the nursery in 2011, and Sharon sadly passed away shortly after. Addi has handed over the day-to-day management of Riverside to Luke and is now responsible for administration and payroll.
Speciality:
Addi is a former paramedic and has ensured that all staff are suitably trained for emergencies.
Carol Ann
Early Years Practitioner
Carol Ann has two children of her own, she lives locally and has a wealth of experience in childcare. She is a long-standing team member, loves outdoor learning and brings an incredible warmth to our unique setting.
Speciality:
Carol Ann is researching and bringing knowledge of ecological story-telling and outdoor literacies. This involves telling and creating stories outdoors with the children, bringing the natural resources and environment into the experience.
Chelsea
Early Years Practitioner
Chelsea joined us in August 2019 as a modern apprentice through Carousel Training; she recently gained an SVQ in Social Services and is enjoying the outdoors here!
Craig
Early Years Practitioner
Craig is a new practitioner here. He was bank staff with us for a number of months before deciding to join our team. He has been working with children for seven years and is son of Sarah, our manager.
Speciality:
Craig is a qualified sports coach, with an HND in coaching and developing sport. He coaches with Xcite, our local authority sports centres and volunteers as a football coach, too.
Huntley
Security
Huntley joined the team eight years ago at only 8 weeks old and he has self-assumed the role of security. His gentle nature means he's pretty inefficient but we love him anyway.
Lauren
Early Years Practitioner
Lauren is sister to Luke and daughter of owner, Addi. Lauren, as a family member, used to help out occasionally and now has found a more permanent place. She is a big hit with the children and staff because she's a big kid herself and full of energy.
Speciality:
Lauren is a great believer in sustainability and works with the children to repair, repurpose and recycle the resources around us. She brings this passion and her ideas into all areas of the nursery and supports the other adults in this.
Luke
Early Years Practitioner (Bank)
Luke is Addi's son and was closely involved in the whole 3-year process that led to the opening of Riverside Cottage Nursery. When his Mum died, he took a year out from his degree course in horticulture to help keep the nursery open, taking over the manager's role while switching his University course to Childhood Practice. Luke has grown in the role and become a rising star in the childcare profession. He lectures at The University of Edinburgh and is invited to speak at seminars and conferences at home and abroad. He has taken a step away from managing at Riverside to study for a PhD.
Speciality:
Luke has a keen interest in sustainability and also in children's geographies (exploring the ways children interact with and make meaning in their environments).
Claire
Early Years Practitioner
Claire is another long-standing team member with excellent experience, which is very much valued here. Claire is a Mum and has a calming influence on the children and staff - and has a great sense of humour, too.
Speciality:
After supporting the children's interests with a recent project about bees, Claire is now our bee expert - developing our environment and everyone's knowledge.