When young mum Terisa Tuffin visited Lindfield Nursery School she knew she had found the perfect place for her little boy. But little did she know that several years later she’d be the one welcoming the newcomers as the nursery’s new owner. Terisa, who has run the nursery for the past six years, tells us why she loves living in the village, being part of the community and why she feels Lindfield is the perfect place to bring up a family.
By Claire Cooper
Brought up in Burgess Hill, Terisa always dreamt of settling in Lindfield but that desire grew stronger after experiencing living in London and becoming a mum.
“I’ve always loved Lindfield,” said Terisa who, after leaving school, trained as a veterinary nurse working at Mackie and Green in Haywards Heath. “I moved to London to continue my career as a vet nurse and experience living in a big city but when I became a mum I knew I had to get back to Sussex.”
Terisa was delighted to find a house to rent on the High Street and immediately began to immerse herself in village life, swapping her work as a vet nurse for childcare.
“They say you should never work with children or animals but I’ve ended up doing both!” she laughed. Terisa enrolled her son Gabriel into Lindfield Nursery based at the King Edward Hall and in 2006 joined the staff as a nursery practitioner.
Two years later the opportunity arose for Terisa to take over. She jumped at the chance!
“Taking over such a well-established nursery was daunting,” said Terisa. “I felt a huge sense of responsibility.
“But I’ve always had a passion for working with children and my staff are fabulous.”
The nursery has always been based in the King Edward Hall and, while the running of the group has changed over the years, the building has retained its familiar feel. “We were recently looking at some old photos of the nursery from the 70s and not a lot has changed,” said Terisa. “Even the curtains are the same!
“It brings back lots of memories for our parents who came here as children and for one of our members of staff who came here too!
“Working in the King Edward Hall feels like we’re in the very heart of the community and it’s lovely to see all the other groups and activities coming and going during the week,” said Terisa.
Read full article on pages 12 and 13.