Worry for parents after Coventry nursery closes down

Staff at the nursery said they were like a family

Parents said they were struggling to find nursery places for their children after their provider closed due to financial difficulties.

Ellie, whose children attended Cherubs Community Nursery in Coventry, said many in their area were fully booked.

Cherubs, which has been in operation for 17 years, announced it was closed for good on 19 August.

Many parents said they were distraught about the closure, with one calling it her "lifeline".

"If you find something, it's going to be far away and you have to travel...it is extremely difficult," Ellie added.

Wendy Robbins and Kirsty Scott-Thomas have worked there for a number of years and said the staff were like a "family".

"We all get on so well, we all have the same aim in a job which is to look after the children to make sure they are safe and well," Ms Robbins said.

The nursery had been struggling for income for a while and relied heavily on government funding.

Manager Sharon Roberts said much of the financial difficulties were due to not opening during the summer holidays.

"We have no income coming in in August, but the staff still need to be paid," she said.

There are 11 staff members at the nursery, which Ms Roberts said was more than the government requirement for up to 48 children.

"But the level of need that some of these children need, means some have one-on-one care," Ms Roberts said.

Cherubs Community Nursery has been operating for 17 years at the university

In a statement, Coventry City Council said: "The Business, Sufficiency and Funding Team at the council has been supporting Cherubs Community Nursery regarding financial sustainability over the past 18 months, but despite our continued advice and guidance, we believe there has been limited action against the recommendations outlined in the nurseries action plan.

"This has continued to impact on the nurseries financial position and ultimately contributed to the closure."

Coventry University's nursery also announced it was closing on 31 October due to it no longer being financially viable as only 30 parents used it.

The university said: "The decision to close our day nursery was not an easy one to make and followed an exhaustive consultation process to try to find a way to make it financially sustainable following years of continued losses, a problem facing many other nursery providers.

"We delayed the decision to allow more time to explore options and consulted with colleagues and Trade Union representatives and sought feedback and suggestions from parents, Coventry City Council and local MPs.

"We also delayed the closure date to allow parents additional time to find an alternative nursery provision."

The university said it had been supporting colleagues employed at the nursery.

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