Closure of generations-loved nurseries leaves families with ‘nowhere to go’

In 2021, the parish priest informed the women that the Archdiocese of Liverpool wanted to sell the building because it could not afford to repair the church. According to Nicola, the non-structural repairs cost around £48,000.

It was reported that a verbal agreement was reached that the women would undertake the rent of the building and pay the repair costs themselves. A third party prepared a contract which Nicola and Carmel received and signed. However, Nicola claims that when he was sent to the Archdiocese for the agreement there was no response.

Nicola said: “I tried to contact them to ask what was in the lease but we never heard back from them.” Assuming the sale was canceled, the women continued their lives normally for the next three years. “We assumed everything was fine,” Nicola explained. “We kept paying rent and kept our jobs.”

Then in April of this year the parish priest told them the sale would go ahead. Nicola claims that they have not received any official correspondence from the Archdiocese on the matter.

Nicola said: “The Priest personally told us the sale would take place and again we were offered different options of paying for the work and taking over the lease. He told us it would be our first choice to buy it. “So I contacted the Archdiocese. I rang them about it and emailed them. “I sent emails, but we didn’t hear back from them until July, and again that was only verbally.”

In July, Nicola and Carmel were told the hall was up for sale for £325,000. They contacted their bank and consulted a mortgage advisor. He told them they could qualify for a mortgage but needed to raise £90,000 for a deposit. Since the building is used for commercial purposes, the deposit rate is set higher than for a residential property.

Nicola said: “We didn’t have the full £90,000, but we did have about half. So we sent another email to the Archdiocese and asked for a period of six to 12 months, just an extension. But we didn’t hear.” anything returned.”

“We’re not asking them to give it to us for free or not sell it to us, we’re just asking for some time. We all have to save for a deposit if we want to buy something, that’s completely normal. Working-class people, if they want to buy a property, they save for it. What we want is All it takes is time and some correspondence with them.”

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Liverpool said: “Following an inspection of Bonsall Hall, the decision was made to sell the building with the tenant in place. The nursery owners were informed of this by the parish priest in April 2024.

“The nursery owners are welcome to make an offer for consideration and have been invited to do so. The decision to sell Bonsall Hall is not one that the archdiocese has taken lightly, we have taken our time in reaching the decision after specifically exploring all other options. Unfortunately, the building is at a level that the archdiocese can no longer sustain.” “It requires significant maintenance, repair and financial resources.”

The nursery was in full swing when the ECHO visited Bonsall Hall on Thursday afternoon. Joyful children indulged in the ‘Disco Dough’ activity, which involved making dough figures while dancing to Disney songs.

They were under the supervision of kindergarten nurse Joanne Temeldasi, who has worked there for 16 years and knows each child individually. Joanne’s own children came here, as did many Bonsall employees. According to Joanne, many people who once attended nursery as children now bring their own children there, creating a “real family atmosphere”.

As children continued to play, unaware of concerns about the nursery’s closure, a group of mothers told the ECHO about the impact the nursery’s closure would have on them. Michelle Passey, 47, is the mother of four-year-old twin girls, one of whom has Down Syndrome.

She said: “I was so sad to find out the nursery might be closing. There’s a real family feel here and I don’t know what I would do without it. The girls would be so sad; they love coming to this nursery.” The children absolutely love the staff and are really loyal to them. All the staff know the children and nothing was too much trouble.

“One of my twins has Down’s Syndrome and I’m already worried enough about him going to school and I don’t know what I’ll do if this one closes. I couldn’t put him in another nursery, that would be it. Our kids leave in July but I still want other families to be here too. It’s a lovely, lovely nursery .

Lyndsey Latta, 37, has four children. Her three-year-old twin children are in day care, and she also has a 4-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. He claims he will have to stop working if his nursery and after-school club are closed.

Lyndsey told the ECHO: “I can’t go to work without this nursery. I don’t have anyone to collect the children at 3pm. On the days I’m in the office, Bonsall will go and collect the children from school.” Go to school and bring them along and it’s also an after school club. For me, this is a big part of our family life. This has a knock-on effect for everyone in society. “

There is a possibility that whoever buys the building will allow the nursery to remain onsite. However, the uncertainty about their future puts Nicola and Carmel in great trouble.

Nicola says she is concerned that if someone else buys the property they may decide to develop it for other purposes. “What bothers me is not knowing,” he says. “They could buy it, then flatten it and build houses on it.”

“We have considered relocating and there is nothing suitable in the area. Even if we have moved we still have breakfast and an after-school club and we have 120 children joining our club from St Paul’s School down the road. What to do? What about the SEN children who come to us, where will they go?”

The similarities to nearby Zoe’s were not lost on the women, and they Encouraged by the heroic efforts to save the nursery from closure. Reluctantly, Nicola and Carmel launched a fundraising appeal to raise money for the deposit that would enable them to purchase Bonsall Hall. Nicola said: “The last thing we want to do is ask people for money so we can buy the property, but as they haven’t given us enough time we can’t leave it to anyone else.

“We will do everything to save the hall. In addition to the 300 families who use it, we are also thinking of the 18 staff who lost sleep due to the closure of the hall.”

If you would like to donate to the Bonsall Hall appeal, Visit the nursery’s GoFundMe page here.