The abrupt closures of the Happy Times nurseries in Fulham and Battersea on 28 November left 70 staff redundant and 287 children without daycare.
Nursery workers at the Battersea site found out they were to lose their jobs when the manager received a phone call at 4.30pm on 28 November informing her that the nursery was to close that day. Staff then had to inform parents when they came to collect their children. Parents are said to be owed thousands of pounds in fees and staff do not know if they will receive any further salary or redundancy payments.
The Westminster Children's Society, a chain of community nurseries with 18 settings in London, has said that it is trying to find spaces for children who have been left in the lurch at its own nurseries and that it may recruit some ex-Happy Times staff. The WCS also called for more help from Government for struggling childcare providers, including the publication of a clear strategy of support.
The Happy Times nursery group opened its first branch in 1997. By 2006 the nursery chain had four settings - in Hammersmith, Battersea, Fulham and Richmond - and catered for 551 children. The Hammersmith branch later closed down and the Richmond nursery was sold in May. Newspaper reports suggested that the chain had debts of £7,600,000 in 2006 and that a loan of £900,000 was taken out in March last year.
One parent told Nursery World, 'One of the things that has upset me was turning up to find my three-year-old in the care of carers who were devastated - some of them sobbing - at having just been told they were losing their jobs without any notice. The company did not have the decency to inform the council or to send any other qualified carers to the nursery. It concerns me greatly that my child was attending a nursery that appears to have been run by people with no business acumen and little compassion.'
A short letter to parents and staff at Happy Times from Russell Thornhill, the non-executive director, said, 'It is with the deepest regret that we have to announce that the Happy Times Battersea nursery will close after today.
'The directors and owners of Happy Times have rigorously and thoroughly explored all avenues possible to keep the nursery open, but have concluded today that there is no alternative but to close.'
Parents and former employees from Happy Times have set up a group on the social networking site Facebook, entitled Happy Times Survivors, which has attracted 134 members.
