Staff Team
Our skilled and experienced team are integral to the success of Ashbridge Nursery. All our Nursery Management Team, Early Years Teachers and Nursery Practitioners are dedicated to providing children with the opportunity to reach their full potential and all members of the team form excellent relationships with the children in their care. Together with the support of the Senior Leadership Team (link) they ensure that your child receives the best start in life by attending Ashbridge Nursery.

Natalie Pratt

Alex Goch-Saraczyn

Martha Hurst

Stacey Mercer

Nazma Ahmed

Lauren Manley

Natalie Pratt
Head of Nursery

Alex Goch-Saraczyn
Nursery Manager

Martha Hurst
Early Years Teacher
Career overview: I started working for Ashbridge in Summer 2016 as a Nursery Practitioner and then moved to Year 2 as a Teaching Assistant. Following on from this I worked as the Reception class Teaching Assistant and Holiday Care Co-ordinator before moving to my current role as Early Years Teacher at Ashbridge on Ribble.
Professional interests: I am most interested in supporting children with speech and language learning needs. Seeing their progress is amazing and every small step is special.
Personal interests: I am recently married to Matt and dream of the day we own a sausage dog! I have been involved in Girlguiding since I was 5 and am now a qualified leader at my local Brownies, provided the girls with amazing opportunities.

Stacey Mercer
Early Years Teacher
Career overview: I have worked for Ashbridge since 2019 but have seen the company grow and develop over the years due to close family links with the company. I work as an Early Years teacher at Ashbridge on Ribble having recently graduated from my PGCE following my degree at Liverpool Hope University.
Professional interests: Learning in the outdoors is a big interest of mine and one of the reasons I joined Ashbridge!
Personal interests: I enjoy spending my free time with my family; my father has close links with the company through his company and my nephew Arnie attends Ashbridge School, meaning there are always family members close by, even when I am at work!

Nazma Ahmed
Director of HR and Nursery Operations
Career overview: I joined the Ashbridge family in June 2020 & support the people management across the organisation, working alongside managers and staff to help people realise their full potential. Prior to joining the Ashbridge family, I enjoyed various senior management roles in the Health and Social Care sector for over 15 years.
Professional interests: I have always been professionally interested in working with people and staff teams to achieve their aspirations by understanding the whole person and giving them the opportunities to experience new and diverse interactions. I enjoy seeing people realising their professional potential and supporting them to attain it. I also developed a strong belief in the importance of early years attachment whilst studying Psychology at university, and have got a passion for nurturing a child's emotional and social development to support them to explore the world around them.
Personal interests: I am married with 2 children - Manny and Nene both of whom have enjoyed accessing the fantastic resources and outdoor facilities at Lindle Lane. As a family we all love the outdoors and music. I have been a leader of a local Girlguiding unit for over 15 years and enjoy supporting the children there to access exciting and fun filled activities. My other biggest passion is food and cooking - I come from a long line of fantastic Bengali cooks and hope to continue the tradition with my children!

Lauren Manley
Outdoor Lead