CONCERNED parents hit by the sudden closure of a Johnstone nursery have been given much needed respite until Christmas.

Around 80 families were scrambling for emergency childcare following the closure of Weans World aftercare service in Brewery Street.

The private nursery was forced to shut its doors two working days before school resumed on Wednesday, August 10.

Renfrewshire Council stepped in to provide temporary childcare to families in the area. But it intended to stop the interim provision from tomorrow.

Many parents relied on the service to allow them to continue to work while ensuring suitable care for their children.

However, council bosses have promised to extend temporary childcare until Christmas.

There will be an after-school club in Thorn Primary until schools break on December 20.

This will include free after-school transport to Thorn Primary from St Margaret’s Primary in Johnstone.

Cllr Jacqueline Henry, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s education and children policy board, said: “Helping parents access affordable childcare in order to go to work is a big priority for this council.

“The former Wean’s World nursery was a privately-run facility and it is worth remembering the council isn’t legally required to provide the sort of care they offered.

“Still, we appreciate how stressful the sudden closure was for parents and we were determined to help ease those worries.

“We put the temporary solution in place hoping six weeks would be enough to allow everybody to find other arrangements.

“But when it became clear last week that wasn’t the case we stepped in again to give parents some certainty for the rest of the year by extending the temporary service.

“We won’t be able to run that service indefinitely – but there are independent providers exploring the possibility of a permanent service from either Thorn or St Margaret’s.

“And over the next three months we will be working with them and hope to be able to sort something out which will help parents over the long term.”

It is claimed that owner Elizabeth Spiers was forced to close her business due to unpaid fees from those using the service, which cost £22 per day during the holidays and £12 during school term.

Many of the parents affected were unable to find alternative childcare and faced having to give up their jobs in order to care for their children.

Former employees at the after school care are also concerned that redundancy payment issues have not been resolved and have still been unable to find alternative work since the closure.

Anne Gambrell, whose granddaughter attended Weans World before the closure, voiced her concerns over the impact that the end of the interim provision would have caused.

She said: “Several of these mums were facing having to give up work if something wasn’t organised, so were distressed and angry.

“My daughter is affected by this, her job was on a knife edge.”

However, some parents are still affected by the closure and are struggling to find childcare in the morning.

Natalie Morris’ son, Patrick, attended the breakfast club from 7.30am and also used the holiday care every day from 7.30am until 3pm.

She said: “I now have to rely on family members to take my child to the St Margaret’s Primary School breakfast club which does not start until 8.15am.

“I have not yet sorted out what I am going to do for the holidays as it is a lot to ask for my family to look after my son every day.

“I feel sad that Weans World had to close however I am disappointed that no other service is available and that the council does not provide any out of school services and their funding is only for nursery children.

“I feel that unemployment is going to rise in Johnstone because parents will have to give up their jobs so they can care for their children.”

The Gazette attempted to contact Elizabeth Spiers for a comment however we have not received a response.