Major milestone for much-loved childcare centre near Exeter

Exminster’s Kidzone childcare centre has celebrated its 20th anniversary by welcoming back former attendees, including one who returned to volunteer.

Among those returning for the anniversary was 15-year-old Hannah McDonald. 

She first joined Kidzone’s after-school and holiday clubs while at primary school and later came back to volunteer as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Award. 

She spent nine months supporting staff and running activities, including an informal ballet class that quickly became part of the children’s weekly routine. 

READ NEXT: Major new family hub approved for fast-growing town near Exeter

“It was very nostalgic the first time I came back as a volunteer,” said Hannah, who is about to start her GCSE year. “When I was little my parents would come to pick me up and I’d ask, ‘Can’t I stay a bit longer?’ Coming back felt like a full-circle moment. As an only child, it was like a social club for me, my friends here felt like siblings.”

Hannah said volunteering gave her the chance to try out new skills and give something back to the place she once attended.

 “I was helping the people who used to help me. It was part of my week and part of the kids’ week too.”

Kidzone, run by Westbank Community Health and Care, opened in 2005 and now looks after more than 140 children with nursery, pre-school, holiday and wraparound care. 

This summer, it expanded further by opening a Baby Room, which provides places for children as young as five months, adding to its long-standing role in supporting local families.

For many in Exminister, Kidzone has grown into more than a childcare service. 

Over two decades it has become a community hub, supporting families, giving children a space to make friends, and inspiring some to follow careers in childcare themselves. 

Jennifer Knight, another former attendee, now works at Kidzone as a childcare practitioner. 

She said, “It’s evolved with the times, but it still has that community feel. When I was young, it was one of the few places you’d get to play with children outside your year group. That experience is what made me want to work in childcare.” 

The anniversary was marked with current and former attendees joining together, including three-year-old Anaya Rose, who blew out the candles on a birthday cake.