Our Story

Maxholme Nursery School was founded in 1968 and operates from the Brookwood Villa in Bearsden. We are a non-denominational nursery catering for children aged between 2 to 5 years of age, operating on the East Dunbartonshire Council school calendar.

Our set up is unique, as the nursery is run by a voluntary parent committee elected annually, as well as by a team of qualified Early Years staff and Centre Manager. As a Scottish Registered Charity, our focus is on creating a warm and inviting early years experience for our children. This balances a child-led pre-school Curriculum for Excellence education, whilst embracing learning through play, friendship and exploration of the outdoors.

In 2015 in response to East Dunbartonshire Council (EDC)’s proposed the sale of Brookwood Villa and former library site, the local community petitioned and lobbied EDC seeking to block the sale.  The Brookwood Villa had originally been gifted to the community by a Bearsden family and the residents were keen that the building remained part of the community and continue to benefit local residents.

EDC established the Brookwood Futures Group, comprised of community groups, local community councils, residents’ associations and other local interested individuals to discuss ideas for the future use of Brookwood Library and Villa.  The group looked at what services were needed in the community and, importantly, what options would be financially viable. The Futures Group looked at similar projects in the EDC area, learned from their successes and mistakes and worked with EDC to create the vision for the Brookwood Villa.   It became clear to the group that provision of Early Year Care was required and with the, then proposed, extension of free early years hours this resource would be in even higher demand.  The Futures Group reached out to the three local charitable nurseries in Bearsden to assess their interest in using the Villa.  Sadly, due to a variety of reasons two of the nurseries closed prior to COVID, Maxholme Nursery, however, continued to provide childcare in the community and stepped up to work with the Futures Group.

At the same time the Futures Group formed and constituted Brookwood Community Trust, a 2 Tier SCIO registered with OSCR (SCO0049997) since March 2020 and formally applied to EDC (in an open application process) for the lease of Brookwood Villa.

Maxholme Nursery is a registered Scottish Charity and thriving Partnership Nursery providing quality childcare for local families.  The Committee of parents and carers, along with the nursery staff, have worked with Brookwood Community Trust through some challenging times to finally arrive as the anchor tenant of Brookwood Villa.   

Membership of Brookwood Community Trust is free and open to anyone who lives in the G61 postcode.  We would encourage you to join and help look after the Brookwood Villa for the future and ensure it stays in the hands of the local community for generations to come.

The Trust is open to considering other charities that may need to rent the villa for their charitable endeavours providing that their needs fit with the local community and our charitable purposes. 

If you wish to find out more about the Villa or the work of BCT, please contact brookwoodcommunitytrust@hotmail.com.