Below please find an overview of our Senior Management and Administrative Support Team who work alongside our Management Team to ensure we are providing excellence and innovation in childcare and education through partnership with our parents/carers and staff.

My Name is Philip Ashton. I am the owner and one of the founders of Building Blocks. Prior to Building Blocks I served for sixteen years as a police officer. . As a Detective Sergeant I was responsible for running long term and complex operations. I obtained an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science, my studies in pursuit of this delineated to me the enormous importance in providing the highest quality childcare in the early years as possible. As a working parent I wanted the best for my children, it was this desire that resulted in the creation of Building Blocks Childcare. 

My name is Lotte and I have been with Building  Blocks since it opened its doors on the 3rd September 2001. Having just completed my BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies I was eager to put all my knowledge into practice. I started as a Nursery Assistant and worked my way up to become Nursery Manager in January 2004 of our new Kingston Rd site. In April 2008 I was promoted to Senior Manager for the company with the owners temporary move to America. This evolved into my current role of Operations Director as I took on more and more responsibility within the company. I have overall responsibility for the quality, care and education within the nurseries and Kids Clubs, directly managing the Early Years Managers as well as all customer service aspects within the company. It is extremely important to me that I maintain a presence within the settings and carry out formal observations and informal check-ins with the staff. Being able to see first-hand the level at which we are delivering our curriculum and offering my support and guidance when needed forms a crucial element of our reflective practice. I live in Guildford with my husband and my two children, Oliver and Hattie who attend our local primary school. We are a sporty family with weekends spent on the side of a football or rugby pitch! Building  Blocks is where I grew up and is my second home, and I am extremely fortunate to work with an incredible group of people that share my passion and vision for providing excellence in all that we do. 

My name is Carla Mead. Building Blocks has been my professional family for over twenty years, during this time I have met and worked with some amazing people and to this day many of them are still here working alongside me. It has been wonderful to grow and develop alongside them and the company. I joined Building  Blocks in August 2001 and during this time I have been given so many opportunities to explore different age groups from Beautiful Babies right the way through to our Kids’ Club. I have taken on different roles within the company from Lead Practitioner through to Nursery Manager before settling in my current role as Early Years Admissions which I love. These opportunities and experiences allow me to fully support all families I come into contact with including those at the start of their search for childcare, those beginning their journey at Building  Blocks and all our current families as they move through the nursery and off to school or into our Kids Club. I find nothing more rewarding then when a place is offered, accepted and start dates confirmed as I know that we have a new family to welcome to Building  Blocks excited to start their journey with us. 

Since joining Building  Blocks in November 2008 as a part-time administrator, I’ve embraced the opportunity to return to the workforce after raising my family. My role quickly evolved, with a key focus on managing the nursery’s highly competitive waiting list, a challenging yet rewarding task that involves delivering the exciting news to parents when they secure a spot. In my previous positions prior to Building  Blocks I dealt with accounts, so it seemed natural when our accounts person left in October 2012 to take over this position. I deal with all of the parent accounts, childcare vouchers, funding, processing of fees & any queries parents may have. As a mother of two boys who recently graduated university, I deeply understand the childcare challenges parents face, allowing me to connect with our families on a personal level while contributing to the smooth operation of the company.

My name is Natasha Noone, I joined Building  Blocks when they opened their Kingston Road setting in 2004 and for 10 years I worked in various positions within the company as a Lead, Deputy Manager and as a Nursery Manager at the Kids Club in Wimbledon. I have a Diploma in Childcare and Education distinction level and a GNVQ in Business Management. I left Building  Blocks in 2014 and worked as a nanny, part-time and Office Manager for a Media Company before having my daughter in 2020 who has just started school. In February 2022 I returned to  Building  Blocks in a consultancy capacity to support one of our settings in improving their learning environment. In November 2024 I stepped back into a managerial role as MAT cover for the Early Years Manager in Wimbledon. This came to an end in September 2025 and I am excited to be taking on this new role of Early Years HR. Within my role I will be the first point of call for all past, present, and future employees of Building  Blocks, assisting with all HR enquiries and requests. I work closely with our Early Years Managers to support them within their role and also our Operations Director with regards to all human resources policies, procedures and programmes. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my daughter, travelling, going to the cinema and cooking.