Simon Rigby

Nine out of twelve of the Safehands Nurseries are set to close, including one in Ribbleton.

Preston entrepreneur Simon Rigby confirmed the closure which includes the nursery on Ribbleton Avenue.

The nursery caters for children aged from birth to five years old and is usually open for 51 weeks of the year.

The nursery employs qualified staff, assigning each child with a dedicated ‘key person’ and an on-site nursery cook.

However it is not busy enough to keep open.

Simon Rigby told Blog Preston: “We have sold our care business Premier Care. The Care sector is undergoing a major consolidation and we have decided to hand the baton on to Premier Care.

“The Nurseries have been for sale but only three out of the 12 have been bought – including the two I am keeping at Preston Guild Hall and Blackpool.

“It is business as usual at the Guild Hall but Ribbleton did not have a buyer as an open nursery. We are hoping it will sell as a closed nursery – and hopefully reopen.

“All sorts of reasons why it is not reopening but the main one is that was just not busy enough to sustain itself. The big issue here is 300 local staff have got a great future with Premier Care – a major player in the Care sector.”

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Blog Preston contacted the Ribbleton Avenue nursery however they did not wish to comment.

Other nurseries closing include Barnoldswick, Penrith, Kendal, Ribbleton, Accrington, Stalybridge, Thornton, Colne and Rishton.

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Is your child affected by the closure? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below