A new £300,000 day care centre is being built in Burton upon Stather thanks to funding from North Lincolnshire Council.
The nursery, known as Burton Play, has been running temporarily from Burton Methodist Church Hall after a fire devastated their previous building in February 2018.
The new purpose-built pre-school and day care – on the same site at Burton upon Stather Primary School – will be much larger than the previous building, increasing the capacity at Burton Play.
As well as continuing to provide pre-school education, breakfast and after school care, the new centre will also house a dedicated baby room for the first time, meaning Burton Play will be able to welcome children from birth to Year 6.
Since the accident, the charity which run Burton Play has also been fundraising to help buy extra play equipment for the children to enhance the learning experience when it opens.
One of the trustees of the charity, Anthea Ogg, said:
“After such a horrid time at Burton Play, we are delighted to see that things are really coming together. Our Early Years staff have been doing amazing work with the children in our temporary home, but the new building North Lincolnshire Council has secured with Paragon Space will ensure we can provide childcare of the highest quality going forward.
“The baby room will be a fantastic addition to Burton Play and we have already received a number of enquiries for places.
“As a volunteer committee, we just want to make sure high quality, affordable childcare is available in the Burton area. The support we have had – and continue to have – from the community since last February has helped us continue to do that, and we are so grateful to everyone who has supported for us.”
Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Rob Waltham, and ward members for Burton upon Stather and Winterton, Cllrs Ralph Ogg, Helen Rowson and Elaine Marper, met with Anthea Ogg and the contractors on site as work started on the new building.
Cllr Helen Rowson said:
“The fire sent shockwaves throughout the village, but it was heart-warming to see the staff and community come together to re-open the nursery so soon at the Methodist Church.
“The pre-school and day care is such an important asset for families in this area and now we’re seeing the start of a new chapter for Burton Play with a bespoke building where our children can flourish.”
Cllr Rob Waltham, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, added:
“Early Years provision is a real priority for the council and we’ve worked closely with the group at Burton Play for some months since the fire to help them back onto their feet.
“I last visited Burton Play to celebrate the council-funded Imagination Library scheme with children and their parents, and I’m looking forward to visiting the newly constructed building when it is finished in the summer.”
Work on the new building is expected to be completed in July 2019.
For more information, visit www.burtonplay.co.uk.
