DELIGHTED staff are looking forward to a bright future now their preschool has been saved from closure.

St Peter's Preschool was just a week away from closing in April after its previous committee stepped down and no new members for key roles were forthcoming.

Staff called an emergency meeting to save the preschool which had been "at the heart of the community" for 23 years and, fortunately, a solution was found.

Angel Hands Childcare took over the preschool and it reopened in September under the new name St Peter's Seedlings.

It is still based at St Peter's Village Hall but it is now open for longer and is able to take care of two year olds.

Stacey Hodgkins, who was an assistant at St Peter's Preschool, now manages the setting.

She said: "We're still very much at the heart of the community and the children are very much at the centre of their learning.

"We're really happy as it is really nice to still be in St Peter's and be able to give children the best possible start to life.

"After Angel Hands said they were interested we had another big meeting with parents and they were really happy because they all wanted the preschool to stay and it took the pressure off.

"The children are very much at the heart of it and so are the parents."

St Peter's Seedlings now takes two year olds now and is open Wednesday to Friday from 9.30am to 2.30pm.

Previously, it was run as a charity but now it is run as a business.

Last school year, they had just 11 children but are now looking after 20 with room for 26.

Angel Hands also run Nunnery Wood Pre School at Ronkswood Community Centre and Tiny Tollys at The Tolly Centre.