Long-standing nursery facing financial struggle plans to close next month after 46 years

Sunny Days, in Kirkleatham Lane, Redcar, which provides pre-school care for 24 youngsters, has blamed financial difficulties, including the deteriorating state of the building it uses.

Remaining staff have been given their notice with parents having previously been informed the facility will close later next month.

Andrea Craig, who chairs the management committee, said it had been “really struggling” and needed a “miracle” to survive.

She said they paid a peppercorn rent to Redcar and Cleveland Council for the use of the building and had been told that, under an agreement with the local authority, the nursery was responsible for any repairs.

Mrs Craig said: “We are really struggling.

“The roof has been leaking and has damaged the floor and some of the heating is not working – we just can’t afford to pay for the repairs.

“The [state of the] building has brought everything to a head, but we have been losing money anyhow since the covid-19 pandemic.

“We have an old committee – I am 77 year-old this year – and have resigned ourselves to the fact we are going to close.

“We really need a miracle to survive.

“We have had staff leave and haven’t dared take additional people on because we don’t know what position we are going to be in.”

Mrs Craig said the council was “adamant” that the nursery was responsible for repairs and this was in its contract.

The council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it had been “exploring all the options available” to try and keep the nursery open.

Mrs Craig said external grant funding was one avenue to pursue, but it was felt it would be difficult to achieve success and money was needed immediately.

She said: “You won’t get a grant for something that you’ve already done and the building needs repairs now.

“There are other nursery settings in the area, but I don’t know how they are doing.”

Nursery manager Debbie Clews added: “The parents have been told the situation and the repairs that need doing and the money used during the pandemic, and how it left us financially.

“It’s just not a quick fix thing, there could be other problems were we to continue.”

Parent Laura Morrison said parents still wanted to keep the nursery – which received an overall ‘good’ rating from Ofsted in 2020 – open and a fundraising page had been set up.

She said: “We need as many nurseries as possible in the area so parents can continue to go to work.”

The letter circulated to parents earlier this month said that, if unable to cover the estimated £11,000 cost of repairs, it was with “great sadness and regret” that the nursery would shut.

It said being converted into a charity had enhanced the nursery provision, but the pandemic and cost of living crisis had taken a toll.

The letter, which thanked staff and parents for their support, said: “The Government also does not fully cover the cost of children’s places and each funded child is subsidised by our setting.

“We now only have sufficient funding for making our loyal staff redundant and [to] hopefully cover the cost of all the bills associated with our running costs.”

Newcomen ward councillor Carrie Richardson said she had met with nursery representatives to see what could be done to help, but “due to many complicated issues they have taken the difficult decision to close”.

She said: “I am very sad to lose this not-for-profit child care provision and hope that it can be replaced with another not-for-profit provider.

“I want to thank them for the care they have delivered to the children of Redcar.

“They are a well thought of and respected team who have supported so many families.”