A CLOSING down sale, which was open to members of the public, was held with great sadness at the former Early Birds Nursery in Crediton on Saturday, March 2.

The sale included toys, books, puzzles, play and playground equipment, office furniture, stationery, craft materials, kitchenware and more.

Early Birds Nursery, which opened in September 1992 closed its doors at the end of the February term with all six members of staff being made redundant.

Early Birds had provided first-class care to children in and around Crediton for the last 26 years and was run as a Charitable Trust where any surplus income over expenditure had been ploughed back into the Nursery. The staff were led by Shaaron and Jill and the quality of their work was reflected in the fact that every Ofsted report was judged Outstanding.

A group of Trustees, who worked tirelessly over the years as unpaid volunteers had held meetings with Devon County Council (DCC) on measures to save the nursery and had been working through an agreed action plan to implement all viable cost-saving measures.

Unfortunately, a combination of factors led to the financial losses endured by the nursery, which became unsustainable.

In November 2017 when it was announced that Early Birds was to close Jenna Hansford, Interim Chair of Trustees, explained: “Whilst each September, for many years, there has been a historical decrease in children, numbers have always recovered; but not this year.

“Where children have left, to go to school, the numbers have not been replaced by others.

“Whilst a concerted effort was made to broaden the age range of children catered for by the nursery, to encourage attendance, regrettably there was insufficient interest.

“Devon County Council informed Trustees of a recent review they had conducted which confirmed that there are currently more childcare places in the Crediton area than there are children. Yet despite this, two new nurseries have recently opened in the immediate area.”

Jenna added that the overall funding situation from the government has also had a great impact.

She continued: “The Early Years Entitlement stands at only £4.02 per hour, meaning that overheads are more than we are paid on an hourly basis for most of the children who come to the setting.

“The quality of the work over the years, led from the outset to the end by Shaaron and Jill is reflected in the fact that in every OFSTED or equivalent inspection during its life, the nursery has been adjudged Outstanding, a record which the Trustees believe is unequalled in the area.