Frustration for Wellingborough nursery unable to open due to leisure centre being closed

A Wellingborough nursery is unable to open due to the building where it is based being closed.

Redwell Nursery is based at Redwell Leisure Centre in Barnwell Road.

But despite the Government saying nurseries can stay open during the current lockdown, the nursery was unable to welcome its children back after Christmas due to the council-owned leisure centre being closed.

It has left both staff and parents frustrated with the situation and desperate to find a way to re-open.

Nursery manager Karen Butler told the Northants Telegraph: "It's left us in a situation where other nurseries can open and we can't.

"We've already lost two families.

"The parents have been so supportive but it's going to get to a point where they are going to decide they aren't going to wait for us to re-open."

When the leisure centre closed during the four-week lockdown, the nursery paid £500 a week for someone to be on reception to let them into the building.

But they can't afford to do that this time and despite trying to find a compromise with the council over paying for this for three days a week, they were unable to reach an agreement.

The nursery usually raises money via cake sales and raffles throughout the year but due to Covid this hasn't been possible so finances are tighter than usual.

Karen said: "It's really hard for everyone and I do understand that it's quite a big thing to open the leisure centre for us, but the Government have said we can open and we have around 27 families who need us to look after their children."

Karen is doing regular online activities for the children and a rhymetime session once a week, but she fears that time away from the nursery will affect their confidence and well-being.

She is frustrated about the situation and has launched a petition in the hope that a solution can be found to the nursery's predicament.

The petition, which has been signed by more than 120 people so far, states: "This decision by the council means we are one of the only nurseries not open and that the well-being of our children and families is being put at risk as well as our nursery's future.

"We have already lost families to other nurseries as they need childcare for their children, please help us open our nursery by signing our petition."

Karen and a number of parents are going to write to their MP Peter Bone to see if he can help.

She has also been speaking to ward councillors Graham and Lora Lawman to see if they can offer any assistance.

Karen said: "It makes us so angry and stressed, we just feel we are undervalued.

"They don't realise it's not just childcare we are providing, we provide a service to vulnerable families with someone to talk to when they are down and we bring them back up.

"We are very much a community group and as a charity we try to help our families as best as we can."

Karen loves her job and hates being unable to see the children each day.

She said: "One of the hardest things about this is I miss the children."

And she added: "The nursery is a big part of my life, it's almost like my babies.

"I have tried really hard to keep it going so I won't let it go and I will fight to keep it going.

"It means a lot to me and the families.

"If we can't open, we will have to look at working from somewhere else, but ideally we want to get back into our own setting.

"The best thing for us would be to get back into our nursery but we need some help."

A spokesman for Wellingborough Council said: “With the county moving into Tier 4 and the Prime Minister’s subsequent announcement that the country is now in ‘lockdown’, Redwell Leisure Centre, which is run by Places for People Leisure has had to comply with the coronavirus restrictions and remains closed.

"This has unfortunately had an impact on the nursery which uses the building.

"We are sorry that the closure of the building has impacted on the nursery.

"We have not at this stage received a request for the use of an alternative council building but it is unlikely that we have anything which would be suitable for the operation they run."

You can sign the nursery petition by clicking here.