River Capital, as appointed fund manager for MSIF, supported their ambition with a £100,000 Merseyside Loan and Equity Fund loan, drawn in July 2022, alongside a NatWest loan to fund the acquisition of an established nursery on Irlam Road in Bootle. The business, trading as 1st Steps Day Nursery had been a fixture in the local community for nearly two decades, holding an Outstanding Ofsted rating and a loyal base of local families. Strong foundations, but with real room to grow under the right ownership.

That ownership was never in question. Alix had spent more than 20 years in childcare, most recently managing Orchard Day Nursery in Knowsley — a setting she guided to successive Outstanding Ofsted ratings and consistent near-full occupancy with 200 children in her care daily. She arrived at Treetops with a clear sense of what excellence looked like and how to sustain it.

David brought complementary strengths in business development, finance and marketing, taking on the commercial side of the business to give Alix the space to focus on what she does best. Between them, they managed the transition carefully — retaining key staff, reassuring existing families, and building steadily from a position of trust.

Treetops now operates at full capacity on a sustained basis, with a waiting list that reflects the reputation the Bedfords have earned within the local community. The loan has been repaid in full — ahead of its five-year term — with a business that is measurably stronger, more valuable, and more deeply embedded in the fabric of its community than the one the David and Alix acquired.

David and Alix said: “We are so grateful to Sue and Steve at River Capital for helping us to fulfil our dreams. They believed in us from Day 1 and gave us the support and encouragement to help us buy the nursery and start to build our business.

Their continued support after we established Treetops Nursery Bootle was just as invaluable, giving us the help and advice we needed to bring us to this point where we are a full nursery, with a waiting list. They will always be welcome at our door, and we will be eternally grateful to them. It was not what we expected of business finance – this was the personal support of business partners who were there to help us succeed.”

Steve Hitchen at River Capital said: “From the moment we met David and Alix, it was clear they had everything it takes — the experience, the commitment, and the vision. Our role was simply to help them get through the door. What they’ve built since then is entirely their own achievement. To see the loan fully repaid with the business at full capacity and families queuing to join is the best possible outcome — for the Bedfords, for the children and families they serve, and for the fund.”

ENDS