A petition has been launched to save a much-loved Huntingdonshire nursery forced to close after 35 years.
A bastion of the St Ives community, Stepping Stones Day Nursery will close its doors in High Leys on Friday, November 1.
Currently on 394 signatures, the petition calls on local authorities to review the decision and "explore every option" to keep the nursery open.
Tiffany Evans rents the building from The Edmund Trust, a charity supporting people across the East of England with learning disabilities.
She was informed in a letter from The St Edmund Trust on May 16 that she had six months to vacate the building as the site was being returned to Huntingdonshire District Council.
Mrs Evans told The Hunts Post: "I'm truly heartbroken. I've worked at the nursery my whole adult life, starting at the age of 17, working my way up to gain my qualifications and taking every role available.
"I don't know what I'm going to do because I've never done anything else. But I think the worst part is having to contact people to break the news, because I feel like I'm letting them down, even thought this isn't my decision."
The news has forced Mrs Evans to search for alternative premises, but the search so far has been unsuccessful.
Stepping Stones Day Nursery has 45 children and a waiting list of youngsters ready to enrol at the site.
A spokesperson for The Edmund Trust said: "The Edmund Trust (Eddie’s) has been discussing with both the Stepping Stones Nursery and Huntingdonshire District Council about handing the land back and ending the lease since November 2023.
"The building is not economic to update so The Edmund Trust (Eddie’s) has decided to return the land to Huntingdonshire District Council. The Council has requested the site be returned without the current structures due to their condition which has meant that six months’ notice was given to Stepping Stones Nursery in May this year.
"The Edmund Trust (Eddie’s) will then formally give notice to Huntingdonshire District Council to return the land at the end of 2024. We do of course hope that the nursery can find suitable alternative accommodation.”
A Huntingdonshire District Council spokesperson said: "We have been informed that Eddies (formerly The Edmund Trust and Mencap) wish to end their lease at the Mid Leys Centre. Built by Eddies in 1970, the Centre is currently sub-let by them to Stepping Stones Nursery.
“We did not seek to end the lease to Eddies and are not party to the agreement between Eddies and Stepping Stones so have no control over the decision taken by Eddies to end the Stepping Stones lease.
“We have, however, sought to find alternative premises for Stepping Stones and understand that Cambridgeshire County Council are also looking at what support they can provide.”
A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson added: "Stepping Stones Nursery has let us know of their intention to close following the landlord's decision to end the lease of their building. We have been supporting the provider to identify a potential long-term solution.
"In the meantime, we have contacted the families at the nursery to offer the support of our Families Information Service, as they look for an alternative childcare provider.
“We regularly review the availability of childcare options across the county and the picture is constantly changing. We believe there will be a need for more nursery places in St Ives. As well as supporting Stepping Stones Nursery we’re in contact with Huntingdonshire District Council to identify options to increase provision.”
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