An Edinburgh nursery which has served its community for 50 years is raising funds to transform a local bowling club into its new home.
Leith St Andrews Playgroup, a registered charity, is based in its namesake the Leith St Andrews Parish Church on Easter Road. But as the Church of Scotland prepares to sell the building, operators need to find a new premises.
That new base hopefully lays just over a mile away in Restalrig, within the confines of the Loaning Crescent bowling club.
The nursery has been granted a 20-year lease on the land by the council.
But the recreational ground, which is still used by bowlers on a regular basis, is going to need renovations to bring it up to scratch for the dozens of children who currently attend the playgroup.
An ageing hut on the edge of the green will need to be replaced before any toddlers can start calling the land their new nursery.
The nursery has launched an online fundraiser to help with renovations, set to cost between £200,000 and £300,000 depending on the kind of build needed.
Leith St Andrews Playgroup manager Louise Kelly told STV News: “The dream, if we get enough money to do so, would be to knock this building down. Then put a purpose-built, whether it’s a timber frame construction or a portacabin-type nursery build that the nursery would use during the day.
“But we’d hope that the community would be able to use it in the evenings and the weekends.”
Without this move, the playgroup could have been left without a home – something parents of the children it cares for say would be devastating.
STV NewsLouisa Collie’s son currently attends, as did his sister.
She said: “It’s been really nice because it’s really small, it’s a good size for them.
“They get so much attention, they get really good, focused activities, they do excursions, they take them out in the community.”
John Macken’s daughter Ruby loves her nursery, and it runs in the family.
“It’s been around for so long, my partner – so Ruby’s mum – actually came here 30 odd years ago,” he said.
“Ruby’s so used to it here, to have to change and change teachers at such a young age probably isn’t good for them.”
The nursery can host two dozen children at a time but boasts a staff pool large enough to cater for as many as 40.
The only thing preventing that is the lack of a larger outdoor space – a problem which would be solved on the new land.
Louise said: “If we’re going to buy something, we’re probably looking in the region of between £200,000 and £300,000.
“We would be able to have a much bigger building which would allow us to increase our numbers.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
