Galgorm Collection is introducing subsidised childcare for its 1,100 employees, with a new childcare facility at Galgorm Castle set to open in October.

The hospitality group says it will become the first employer in Northern Ireland’s hospitality sector to offer its workforce access to subsidised childcare. The benefit is available to employees from their first day of employment and regardless of their role.

The initiative is being delivered in partnership with Sleepy Hollow Group, which has more than 30 years’ experience providing childcare services across Northern Ireland.

A new Sleepy Hollow Early Childhood Centre at The Courtyard, Galgorm Castle, Ballymena, is due to open in October 2026, providing childcare for Galgorm Collection employees based at its flagship Galgorm property. Sleepy Hollow’s website lists the Galgorm centre and describes its pricing as for “Galgorm Staff only”.

Employees working elsewhere across Galgorm Collection’s portfolio will also receive priority access and discounted rates at Sleepy Hollow locations throughout Northern Ireland.

The initiative is intended to reduce the financial and practical barriers childcare can create for parents and carers who want to enter, return to or progress within employment.

Laura Millar, People and Development Associate Director at Galgorm Collection, said childcare can be one of the biggest challenges facing working families and the group wanted to introduce a meaningful solution that would make a real difference to team members’ everyday lives. As a major employer with more than 1,100 team members across Northern Ireland, the company is continually looking at ways to strengthen its employee offering and help people build rewarding, long-term careers.

The childcare support adds to a wider package of employee benefits offered by Galgorm Collection, including private healthcare, complimentary spa access, discounted overnight stays, training and development programmes, wellbeing initiatives and referral bonuses.

Sleepy Hollow operates early-years and school-age childcare services across Northern Ireland, including early childhood centres and childcare provision based at primary schools. Its corporate childcare programme offers employers several partnership models, including discounted childcare and priority enrolment.

Nikolai Koplewsky, Director of Sleepy Hollow Group, said the partnership will establish a new childcare facility and make high-quality childcare more accessible for working families. In addition to the new facility at Galgorm Courtyard Business Park, team members will benefit from priority access and discounted rates across its wider network of locations.

For Galgorm Collection, the initiative also has a recruitment and retention dimension in an industry where working patterns can include evenings, weekends and periods of high seasonal demand.