A CAREER dream is about to come true for a mum who is renovating a rundown doctor's surgery to start a new venture.

After ten years of hard work to gain skills and qualifications needed, Amy Stott is set to open her own nursery.

The 27-year-old and her mother, Dawn Stott, have teamed up to renovate a former GPs in Baildon to house their not-for-profit enterprise.

They hope to open TOTS2 in April - catering for around 20 youngsters and bringing up to 30 new jobs to the area.

And as a limited liability company, profits will be ploughed back into the facility.

"We aim to develop community support and good health and childcare," said Mrs Stott, who works as chief executive of a health charity in Harrogate.

Opening a nursery was Miss Stott's focus and ambition throughout her schooldays.

"But when she left school she didn't have the skills or qualifications to do this," said Mrs Stott.

"So she worked hard for ten years to get enough experience to realise her ambition."

When the former doctor's surgery came up for rent in Newton Way, the two women succeeded in getting funding for renovation work from the Key Fund, which specialises in support for not-for-profit organisations.

Mrs Stott said they had worked with architects to develop the interior of the building to create a flexible layout to ensure children could play in the safest possible environment.

"As a working mother, Amy values the importance of finding the right environment for children in their formative years," said Mrs Stott, who has more than 15 years experience in the healthcare sphere.

Miss Stott, who lives in Sleningford Road, Saltaire, and has a five-year-old daughter, will run the nursery on a day-to-day basis, with Mrs Stott as a director and adviser.

Miss Stott's own experience of childcare fuelled her determination to run her own nursery.

"We found that many facilities did not develop children to be ready for starting school. We will focus on this and ensure the children are fit for purpose," said Mrs Stott.

Miss Stott, who has a BTEC national diploma in early years, has latterly worked in various roles to gain knowledge of the healthcare industry.

She is self-employed and manages a team of 12 consultant surgeons and doctors in a business she started from scratch two years ago.

She said: "It is tough to know whether you are making the right choice for your child’s care and I know I struggled with leaving my daughter when the time came to return to work. So I hope our nursery will show parents and carers that we have the children’s wellbeing at the heart of all we do."