Fulwood nursery First Steps shuts down suddenly after 25 years

First Steps Nursery in Longsands Lane shut suddenly on Friday (August 26), saying it was unable to operate due to lack of staff.

In a letter to parents and carers, the nursery said it had struggled to recruit and retain staff in recent months, leaving it with “no option but to close the business in its entirety”.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision, and may I say how sorry I am that this situation has arisen,” said owner Mike Melville.

“In over 25 years operating the nursery we have never experienced such difficult conditions such as these and unfortunately, we cannot see these improving despite our best efforts."

Mr Melville said the difficulty in finding staff was a ‘nationwide issue’ affecting nurseries across the UK and said First Steps had to rely on agency staff on a daily basis.

Unable to secure staff for the new term in September, the nursery said it would not be able to safely offer quality childcare, even on quieter days, and the decision was made to close its doors for good.

The owners said a letter will be sent to parents and carers to notify them of the closure and advise them on refunds for deposits or fees paid.

The sudden closure came as a shock to parents, with some now rushing to secure last minute places for their children at other local nurseries.

A spokesman for the nursery said: “On Friday (August 26), First Steps Nursery closed it's doors for the last time.

“We'd like to say a massive thank you to all the wonderful children we've had the pleasure of looking after over the past 20+ years.

"We'd also like to thank all the parents, carers and staff that we've met along the way too. We wish every one of you all the best for the future!

"We hope you've created many fond memories here and enjoyed your time here as much as we did!”

Full letter to parents/carers confirming First Steps closure

For some time, the company has found it difficult to recruit and retain nursery practitioners, this is a nationwide issue and has been of a great concern to us.

We have been forced to use agency staff on a daily basis in order to meet our legal minimum ratios, even during the quieter school holidays. This even resulted in is closing last Thursday due to this.

In September we have a shortfall of staff that means we will not be able to continue to safely offer quality childcare and meet all our statutory requirements to provide and maintain the provision to the standard we feel necessary.

Consequently, even looking at the prospect of the future, the only option is for the company to cease operation on Friday the 26th of August 2022 at 6.00pm.

This has been an incredibly difficult decision, and may I say how sorry I am that this situation has arisen. As a result, we have been left with no option but to close the business in its entirety. We will cease trading on Friday the 26th of August 2022.

A follow up letter will be sent out in due course to confirm any outstanding balance, deposit/credit returns owing to you individually.

In over 25 years operating the nursery we have never experienced such difficult conditions such as these and unfortunately, we cannot see these improving despite our best efforts.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for choosing First Steps and letting us care for your children. This has been an incredibly hard decision to make and I would like to thank all our staff, parents and children for their time at First Steps Nursery.

Yours sincerely, Mike Melville