More than 40 parents of Llangollen Day Nursery children have written to local politicians, the county council and the town’s two primary school headteachers calling for a review of the reasons behind its closure in less than a fortnight’s time.
Llanblogger revealed recently how parents were sent a letter by the manager of the East Street nursery on July 17 informing them that, “following an economic viability consultation” it was due to close for good on Monday August 14.
Now they have co-signed an email, written
by Chelsea Robinson, the mother of a three-year-old girl who attends the nursery,
and sent to the area’s MP Simon Baynes, its two county councillors, the heads
of Ysgol Y Gwernant and Ysgol Bry Collen and the Senedd which sets out their
case for a "full evaluation" of the situation.
It also goes into great detail about how the closure
will affect them.
The email says: “The
closure has had a significant impact on the work commitments of many parents,
including myself, and has caused great inconvenience
and uncertainty in our lives while
we strive to achieve the now impossible balance against our professional
commitments and the care of our children.
“As responsible parents, we understand and appreciate the
importance of quality childcare services in our community.
“The Llangollen Day Nursery has been a pillar of support for
working parents, providing a safe and nurturing environment for our children.
Due to limited childcare available in Llangollen, its closure has left us
without alternative options, significantly disrupting our professional lives
and creating undue stress and hardship.”
The parents claim the effects include:
· * Involuntary
changes to working patterns and pay;
· * Unemployment;
· * Childcare
Fee increases for alternative care;
· * Relocation
away from Llangollen;
· * Parents
having to drive 1hr long round trips to do multiple childcare drops;
· * Potential
unenrollment of children from Ysgol Y Gwernant/Ysgol Bryn Collen and the local
Cylch Meithrin/Llangollen Playgroup;
· * Disruption
of friendship groups and communities and;
· * Job
losses for Nursery staff.
The email goes on: “A letter from Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, Chair ofLlangollen Day Nursery Board, cites the ‘large grant ... awarded to both primary schools in Llangollen to build new on-site nursery for aged 2 years + available from 2025’ as one of the reasons behind the closure.
“Understanding that the council plays a crucial role in supporting early years provision, I kindly request a thorough investigation into this matter. While I acknowledge the council's responsibility to develop and adequately fund childcare services, such actions must be conducted in a manner that safeguards the interests of the wider community, particularly those directly impacted by the closure of the Llangollen Day Nursery.
“It is simply unacceptable in modern society that there is now no available childcare in the Llangollen vicinity that caters for traditional 9-5 working day with appropriate links to Ysgol Y Gwernant, Ysgol Bryn Collen and Cylch Meithrin Llangollen. The absence of such basic services is no less than a form of discrimination to working families.”
The parents who signed the email call for a “prompt and detailed evaluation of the circumstances leading to the closure of the Llangollen Day Nursery, including an assessment of the impact on parents' work commitments and the extent to which the council funding allocation played a role.”
Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has
acknowledged the email and told the parents he will discuss the closure with Denbighshire
County Council and get back to them.
Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, chair of Llangollen Day
Nursery Board, told llanblogger last week: “This has been an upsetting decision
for all of us.
“The decision to close was not taken
lightly. We have tried to explain to parents the reasons for closure,
sadly we know we are not on our own with other nurseries closing every
day.”
And in an earlier message to Chelsea Robinson, Ms
Wyn Hughes went further into the reasons behind the closure,
explaining: “As trustees, we have been monitoring the development of
the nursery on a regular basis, hoping for an improvement in the financial
viability moving forward. Unfortunately the challenges of Covid and more
recently the cost of living crisis and the increase in costs have worked
against what we have tried to achieve.”
* The Facebook group set up for the parents of those affected by the closure is at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/220715008050894/permalink/6261287533993581/
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