News

Voluntary nursery loses capital funds

A community nursery in the London Borough of Hackney that was due to receive 330,000 from the Early Years Capital Grant has become one of the latest victims of Government cuts.

The Fire Station Community Nursery in Stoke Newington, a not-for-profit setting run by a committee of volunteers, was awarded the funding to pay for a refurbishment and renovation of its building and has already spent £40,000 on preparatory work. The renovation would have included building a raised playdeck over its back yard, which would have provided more outdoor space for the 45 children who attend the nursery and pre-school.

Anne-Marie Lawrence, manager of the Fire Station Community Nursery, said, 'We have been located on the first floor of this building for 20 years and we have never been able to achieve an outstanding grade from Ofsted because there are things that we just can't do. For example, we can't offer wheelchair access because we are based on the first floor and we do not have a lift, plus we only have a very small outside area. We have 45 children here every day and 45 children cannot use that space. These things do hinder us.

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