PARENTS from the Bere Peninsula breathed a sigh of relief last week after hearing long-awaited news that childcare services for the area have been rescued.
It was before Christmas that parents heard their beloved Bere Valley Pre-School was being closed by the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA) due to management and viability issues.
A campaign was launched to save the popular pre-school, which had met local needs for more than 30 years.
A public meeting was held in January, in the hope that a new committee structure could be established — and saw more than 80 concerned residents crowd into the village's church hall.
People heard that PLA believed the pre-school had been struggling for several months, and issues surrounding the viability and difficulties in appointing a manager had led to the decision.
Meetings have been held in the church hall for the past few months and have been chaired by the former toddler group leader Julie Marks, who masterminded plans to re-open this local facility.
Julie said: 'I feel very passionate about the rights and needs of children and young people. The children of the Bere Peninsula deserve and expect to have access to provisions that a pre-school can offer to enhance their lives for the future.'
On Tuesday parents heard the good news that it had been saved.
The former pre-school has been given a make-over and will now be called The Cabin Childcare Centre and will be run by Sue Kowalska and Karen Sweet of the K and S Childcare Ltd.
The pair have a wealth of experience and have been providing children's services for a combined total of 35 years.
The Cabin Childcare Centre will offer children education and enjoyment with qualified practitioners.
Jackie Colby, from the children and young people services at Devon County Council, said: 'I would like to say thank you to Karen and Sue who stepped in when the pre-school was closed.
'We at Devon County Council will be supporting the centre and will work closely with them and funding them for the first 12 months.
'I hope the centre will be here for a long time and hopefully they will be able to have their own building one day.'
The cabin will be run in the parish hall from April 20.
An open day is being held at the hall on Saturday, May 9 and Karen said she hoped to book some entertainment and maybe even a celebrity to open the proceedings.
Karen said: 'We are thrilled. We have overcome every hurdle and come across new hurdles but we have communicated with all the ladies and we are grateful to everyone's efforts.
'Sue and I can't express how grateful we are for all their support.'
Fern Hughes, a representative of the Bere Alston Regeneration Partnership, said: 'I would like to say thank you to Julie for all her hard work as without it we wouldn't have got this far and we wouldn't have Karen and Sue involved.'
l Initially the pre-school will offer childcare between Monday and Friday from 9.30am and 3.30pm with the exception of Thursday when it will close at 1pm. Initially Karen will be pre-school leader and is expecting applications from suitable pre-school personnel, including those previously employed by the PLA.