Finances stop play at Sidley nursery

Little Angels playgroup, which up until recently was based at All Saints Church hall, Sidley, had been struggling financially for a number of months. An increase in rent, along with not enough children attending, meant there was not enough money to cover outgoings and it was not viable for the nursery to continue at its current location.

Chairperson Julie Young initially hoped the nursery would continue if it could find cheaper premises, and put out an appeal for a new location in last week’s Observer.

Julie said it’s been a sad blow for the children, their parents, and staff members who have lost their jobs: “We looked closer at our finances and discovered that we were not in a good enough financial position to be able to move premises.”

A meeting was held between Little Angels and representatives from All Saints Church and the decision was made to close. Julie said: “Our only option was to close as down as we had started to get behind with bills. We currently have a shortfall in our finances to pay creditors but the Little Angels committee members are striving to balance the books so that there are no outstanding debts. I have now issued redundancy notices to the three staff members.”

To try and recoup costs the nursery, a registered charity, sold off equipment and toys to try and raise funds to cover outstanding bills and staff redundancies.

The playgroup closed its doors for the final time on January 28. Julie said: “We would like to thank everyone for their kind support.”