Hundreds back petition against Shrewsbury nursery closure
Hundreds of people have signed a petition to save a Shrewsbury children’s nursery at risk of closure.
Sunflower House Nursery has been told it must be out of its base in Kendal Road, Harlescott, by August 30.
It has been informed by Shropshire Council that the lease on their building will not be renewed.
Kerry Owen, area manager of Hazels Farm which runs the nursery, has launched a petition to get the decision overturned.
It has now been signed nearly 500 times and will be looked at by the Shropshire Council scrutiny committee.
“At the moment the local authority is saying they will support us in finding somewhere else for us to go but we have not received a definitive answer yet,” Kerry said.
“We have set up a petition because we need to get a guarantee from them. We want to stay in the building and get their decision overturned.”
The nursery currently has 96 children on its register and looks after a total of 54 children a day.
Stress
Kerry said it has been a “stressful” time for all involved and that the business has taken a hit.
“Parents have been stressed and worried because they want a guaranteed place come September,” she said.
“It’s been a big hit for us because parents want security and at the moment we cannot offer that so they have been forced to look elsewhere.
“We’re just stuck in limbo.”
The centre has been earmarked by the authority to become one of seven new hubs following the reorganisation of Sure Start.
The plug was pulled last year on the Sure Start scheme and the proposals for the new Early Help Family Hubs were put forward.
They include coffee mornings to drop-in sessions and social events.
But Kerry said Sunflower House was not mentioned in the initial consultation and therefore the decision to end the tenancy is unjust.
Explaining the decision earlier this month Karen Bradshaw, the council’s director of children’s services, said: “As part of our plans to deliver children’s centre services from seven key buildings - or hubs – from April 2019, we’re ending the lease with the company that currently runs the nursery at Sunflower House, which is to be one of the seven hubs.
“However, we’re very happy to work with them to find an alternative venue for the nursery and are confident that they will find a new location soon.”
