Heywood Nursery facing closure

Derby Street Nursery in Heywood is in danger of closing months after parents were told it would stay open.

Residents in the area launched a campaign in March after they were told that the private run Derby Street Neighbourhood Nursery Daycare would be closing.

Fears then emerged amongst concerned residents that the adjacent council supported Derby Street Nursery, a pre school, would also be closing.

At the time, parents were told that the nursery would be unaffected by the changes but now parents have been told that the nursery could also close due to lack of applications.

Sandra Bowness, Rochdale Borough Council’s assistant director for early help and schools, said: “Unfortunately, Derby Street Nursery School has only received a small number of applications for nursery places at the school starting in September. The Nursery School has, therefore, informed parents of the situation. At present no decision on the future of the Nursery School has been taken, however, any future proposals would be the subject of a public consultation process.”

The daycare facility is set to close on Friday 18 July.

The campaign to save the private daycare from closure was supported by local residents and a petition to save the nursery attracted over 500 signatures.

The people behind the campaign were saddened to hear the news regarding the nursery closure, they said: “It was so sad to find out that the nursery was planned to close for some time. All we can do now as a town is celebrate the wonderful memories that Derby St Nursery and daycare facilities have created for so many people over the decades. We can only thank the public enough for their support throughout this campaign. We say goodbye to one of the long standing nurseries in Heywood.”