Parents in Duns take over nursery after closure announced

Parents in a Borders town are now running the local nursery after managers announced it was to close.

As The Links was the only private childcare facility in Duns, it was feared parents would have to give up work to look after their children.

After a parents' committee was formed and four directors elected, the lease was eventually secured and Duns Community Nursery opened on Monday.

Nursery director Nicky Seed said: "A lot of livelihoods were on the line."

The parents had learned about the closure - due to be at the end of the financial year - just before Christmas.

The nursery provides regular care for up to 35 pre-school children at any one time, with more than 40 families reliant on it.

It was calculated that the closure would lead to job losses - both at the nursery and the wider community - worth almost £750,000 per annum.

New director Ms Seed, a mother-of-two, said: "The announcement put a lot of families in a very difficult position - how were we all going to be able to continue working if there was no childcare?

"We weren't prepared to see families having to choose between working and looking after their children, especially during the current cost-of-living crisis.

"We had around 50 people at our first meeting, just a few days after the announcement by The Links, and things have progressed quickly from there."

A number of businesses and organisations have helped to establish the community nursery and a lot of fundraising has taken place.

A lease agreement was reached with Berwickshire Housing Association for the premises occupied by The Links.

And registration with the Care Inspectorate was achieved in the weeks leading up to the opening.

Ms Seed added: "It has gone from being daunting to becoming very exciting with so many people offering to help.

"Because it is a community nursery, it will be very much involved with lots of other aspects of what Duns has to offer."

The nursery, which is being run as a not-for-profit community interest company, will be open for 50 weeks of the year, from 07:30 to 18:00.

Plans are already in place to offer additional holiday clubs during school holidays - and a refurbishment of the entire premises in planned for later this year.

Local councillor Marc Rowley is delighted with the response from the parents.

He said: "I've been so thrilled to see how an enthusiastic campaign group quickly became a community interest company which has now saved local jobs and safeguarded a vital local service.

"If Berwickshire is to thrive, local facilities like high quality childcare are vital.

"Duns Community Nursery is a brilliant example of my constituents working hard to make this a great place to live, work and invest."