The Peter Pan Playgroup was established in 1969 by Pat Edge and Mary Thomas, as a support group for the parents of children with special needs. The children would play, and the parents, mainly mums would have a coffee and cake and a chance to relax and make new friends. Pat also ran a volunteer transport service to help families attend the group.

Pat and Mary ran the group for around 15 years, before handing the reins over to a local lady named Karen.

During the 1980s the playgroup developed and became known as the Peter Pan Nursery. Based at the Orme Centre in Newcastle under Lyme, the nursery was registered with Ofsted and Social Services, and developed formally into a nursery setting. Family support remained important, with a Parents Room for socialising and meeting others.

In 2011, the Peter Pan Nursery moved to its current premises on Hoon Avenue. We then re-branded to become the Peter Pan Centre, in 2014. As you know, we do not operate as a day nursery and as such the name “nursery” is misleading. Rather, we are a specialist development centre, dedicated to equipping disabled children with early skills to give them the best start in life.

We employ around 12 staff to support our work and have plans to continue developing our service for the benefit of the children and families we serve.