- The group, which employs over 1,230 personnel, is backed by Zetland Capital Partners which acquired a majority stake in 2022;
- It currently has 36 nurseries throughout the South of England and Wales, caring for over 3,000 children daily;
- With this funding, Happy Days plans to grow its portfolio to 43 sites by early 2026, with a long-term vision to reach 60-80 nurseries in the coming years.
London, Wednesday 19th November, 2025: OakNorth – the digital bank for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs – has provided a £30m loan to Happy Days Nurseries, a leading provider of early years childcare in the South of England and Wales. The funding will support the group’s buy-and-build strategy which most recently, saw it acquire Edward Bears Nursery – a 71-place nursery in Gloucestershire.
Founded in 1991, Happy Days currently operates 36 nursery settings across the UK, caring for over 3,000 children daily aged 3 months to 5 years. The group, which employs over 1,230 personnel, is backed by Zetland Capital Partners which acquired a majority stake in 2022. With this latest funding from OakNorth, Happy Days plans to grow its portfolio to 43 sites by early 2026, with a long-term vision to reach 60–80 nurseries in the coming years.
Toni Kilby, Chief Financial Officer at Happy Days Nurseries, commented: “The OakNorth team quickly got to grips with our operating model and growth ambitions, and their commercial, collaborative approach helped us develop a facility that’s structured for scale. In a highly competitive market, they’ve shown time and again that they’re one of the best banks for high-growth businesses like ours – responsive, strategic, and relationship-led. Their speed, flexibility, and deep understanding of what we’re trying to achieve have made them a critical partner for us. We’ve already seen the benefit with the funding of our most recent acquisition of Edward Bears Nursery, and we’re excited to continue building our platform with their support.”
Deepesh Thakrar, Managing Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth, continued: “Happy Days is a standout operator in the UK childcare sector – high-quality, well-run, and delivering on its ambition to build a scaled, high-performing early years education platform. The management team has a clear strategy, and with Zetland’s backing, they’re executing it with discipline and pace. The recent acquisition of Edward Bears Nursery in Gloucestershire reflects the group’s continues commitment to quality, scale, and integration efficiency. We’re pleased to support them with a flexible facility that provides certainty and room to grow.”
Zulfi Ali, Chief Financial Officer at Zetland Capital Partners, said: “Our investment in Happy Days is underpinned by a clear vision to build a market-leading platform in the UK’s early years sector – one that combines educational quality with operational excellence. Delivering on that vision requires partners who not only understand the sector but also the realities of scaling a high-growth business. OakNorth has proven to be just that. The team brings a refreshingly pragmatic approach to lending – commercial, fast-moving, and deeply engaged with the long-term plan.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
About OakNorth
Launched in September 2015 and founded by entrepreneurs, OakNorth is a digital bank focused on serving and empowering the lower mid-market (businesses with £1m-£100m in turnover), that are seeking to scale but are routinely underserved or overlooked by traditional banks.
To date, it has provided $18bn to these businesses across a wide range of sectors, achieving performance metrics that place it amongst the top 1% of commercial banks globally. Its loans have directly contributed to the creation of 61,000 jobs, and over 36,000 new homes across the UK and the US – the majority of which are affordable and social housing.
It is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Visit www.oaknorth.co.uk for more information.
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