The Adorable Moment a Three-Year-Old Staged a Mini Protest to Save Her Nursery
Key Highlights :
The adorable moment a three-year-old girl staged a mini protest outside Grimsby Town Hall and said: "Please don't close my nursery" has been captured on camera. Charlotte Campbell, 3, who attends Scartho Nursery School, took it upon herself to create a banner which read 'please save my nursery' and take it to the Town Hall amid the consultation by North East Lincolnshire Council to close down three nurseries in Scartho, Great Coates and Cleethorpes.
The little girl, whose mum Lynsey said she has "thrived" since she began attending nursery, has also been door-knocking in Scartho to encourage residents to sign a petition against the closure.
Parents of children who attend Scartho Nursery School, Reynolds Day Care and Great Coates Nursery all received letters which said the settings may be forced to close due to them "not being viable". The Council has now introduced a consultation to gather the views of members of the public on the potential closures, which could be taking place from the end of August.
This could lead to hundreds of children being left without nursery places, and hundreds on waiting lists losing their allocated spots. Charlotte's mum Lynsey was among the many parents to attend a meeting on Wednesday, June 21 alongside nursery staff and union reps to discuss the situation, which she has described as "upsetting" and "stressful".
She told Grimsby Live: "When I first read the letter I was shocked and upset, not only for us, but for our daughter too. She's absolutely thrived there and she's come out of her shell, she's learned so much. She used to go for 15 hours and she used to come out upset because she'd want to stay all day. She just absolutely loves it, so this is having a huge impact on the children. They're splitting up children from their friends they've made and they're not thinking about the effect it will have."
A spokesperson for North East Lincolnshire Council said the settings have "struggled" to fill places due to parents looking for childcare settings closer to their workplaces. "They've said there are enough spaces for children at other nurseries, but parents have rung round and nurseries don't have spaces," Lynsey said. "Other nurseries didn't hear from the Council until these letters had already been sent out, and staff only found out from reading the letters themselves that they could lose their jobs," she claimed.
People are getting angry, but nobody's coming out and talking to people about it." Lynsey said it was decided at the meeting that a further meeting will take place on a more public level, and hopes to attract more nursery staff and parents to discuss the future of the nurseries. A protest is also thought to be organised within the coming weeks.
The Council have introduced an online consultation for people to have their say on the proposals. These will be open until Friday, July 7 and can be filled in here. "We really don't know whether the consultation response will have an impact on the decision. We need to try and get them to extend the consultation period because they're trying to get it tied up very quickly," Lynsey explained.
"It is only a consultation and one of the best ways to battle the closures is by parents applying to the nurseries for places for their children. That shows the Council they're needed. Despite what the Council says, the nurseries are still open. They're not shutting yet."
Charlotte's mini protest has inspired other parents to take action against the potential closure of the three nurseries, and many are hoping that the consultation response will have a positive effect on the decision.
The Council have said that there are enough spaces for children at other nurseries, however many parents have been unable to find places for their children due to the nurseries being full. It is hoped that the consultation will extend the time period to give parents more time to find alternative childcare for their children.
It is also hoped that the Council will take into account the effect that the closure of the nurseries will have on the children, as many of them have formed strong friendships and have thrived in their current settings.
Charlotte's mini protest has highlighted the importance of nurseries in the community, and the impact that the closure of the three nurseries would have on the children and families in the area.
