In October 2016, lifelong friends Ashwin Grover and Varun Chanrai founded Storal with a vision to create exceptional early years experiences for children, families and communities.
Every great story has a beginning. For Storal, that beginning was Hemsley House Nursery School in Kent.
Ten years later, Hemsley House remains much more than Storal's first nursery. It is where the foundations of the group were laid, where ideas were tested, lessons were learned and a vision for the future started to take shape.
Why Hemsley House?
For Ash and Varun, finding the right first nursery was about much more than buildings or numbers. Hemsley House immediately stood out.
"It had a very strong reputation in the community and excellent Ofsted ratings. We also built a real rapport with the sellers, which mattered a lot for our first nursery. They felt comfortable handing their legacy over to us."
There was also something special about the nursery itself.
"We loved the building. Two converted Victorian houses that genuinely felt like a home away from home. It felt like the right place to start."
Those qualities reflected the values that Ash and Varun hoped would become synonymous with Storal: strong relationships, high-quality childcare and a sense of belonging for children, families and colleagues alike.
Looking back, Hemsley House proved to be the perfect place to begin.
The early days
Like many start-up stories, the early days involved plenty of enthusiasm and more than a few unexpected challenges.
A few weeks after acquiring the nursery, Ash and Varun decided to take on some improvement works themselves, recruiting their wives to help with decorating.
The plan seemed simple enough. Unfortunately, reality had other ideas.
"Despite our best intentions, it didn't go to plan. We mishandled the thermostat, a radiator burst mid-paint, and the whole job took about ten times longer than it should have."
The experience quickly taught them that some jobs are best left to the professionals.
There were lighter moments too.
One particularly memorable day saw Ashwin conducting an important management interview during the nursery's superhero-themed celebration.
"It was superhero day at the nursery, and I found myself conducting a very important interview for a management position dressed as Batman. Thankfully, the candidate had come as Wonder Woman."
These moments have become part of Storal's story and a reminder that even the biggest journeys often begin with a lot of hard work, determination and the occasional mishap.
Where the vision became reality
While Hemsley House was Storal's first nursery, it was also where the founders first saw their approach come to life.
The belief was simple: invest in people, support teams to grow and create environments where children can thrive.
At Hemsley House, they saw the results first-hand.
"When you look after your team and give them room to grow, they become more engaged. Quality improves, parents and children are happier, and word of mouth spreads."
As more families joined the nursery, opportunities emerged to reinvest in resources, learning environments, gardens and facilities, creating an ongoing cycle of improvement.
"It's a virtuous cycle we believed in on paper, and Hemsley proved it."
The nursery also taught lessons that would go on to shape the wider group. One of the most important was the value of strong leadership partnerships.
"It showed us how important it is for the manager and deputy to complement each other. They don't need identical skills; together they need to make a strong team."
That principle continues to influence leadership teams across Storal today.
A lasting legacy
Over the past decade, Storal has grown significantly, but Hemsley House remains at the heart of its story.
For Ash, the nursery represents much more than a first acquisition.
It represents proof that a people-first approach could work. That investing in teams creates better experiences for children. That strong relationships build strong communities. And that high-quality childcare can transform the lives of children and families.
Looking back, he believes the future of Storal may have been very different without those early experiences.
"Put simply, without that early proof that we could deliver higher-quality childcare in local communities, Storal might have followed a very different path."
The beginning of something special
Ten years on, Hemsley House continues to provide the warm, nurturing environment that first captured Ash and Varun's attention.
It is a nursery built on relationships, community and a belief in giving children the very best start in life.
Most importantly, it is where the Storal story began.
And while much has changed over the last decade, the values that made Hemsley House feel like home from the very beginning continue to guide the journey today.
