ANGRY parents were given just 24 hours to re-arrange childcare places after the sudden closure of a popular nursery school.

Staff at the Renaissance Nursery in Prestwich were told last Friday that the nursery was closing with immediate effect while parents only found out when letters arrived at their homes the following day.

The owner of the Chandos Road-based nursery, which catered for 27 children, has blamed the shock closure on "insurmountable financial pressures".

And Mrs Jean L Smith-Lawrence also said that the worries had led to her "deteriorating ill health".

In her letter to parents she expressed her "deep regret" at the closure and provided details of other nurseries in the town.

It is understood that the ten-strong staff have lost their jobs. Renaissance, which had been running for the past 13 years, was recently awarded Investors in People status.

But parents are fuming that no advance warning was given of the closure and that they were forced to hurriedly re-arrange childcare. Around 40 mums and dads met in Prestwich on Wednesday night to discuss what had happened.

One of the parents, who asked not to be named, said: "We all got letters last Saturday stating Renaissance had ceased trading the previous day. So, it was virtually impossible to find another nursery before Monday.

"Some people who had paid in advance have lost money and others had to take days off work so their children would be properly looked after while they tried to find new places. If we'd been given at least a month's notice, then parents would have been far more understanding."

"The manageress and all the staff were brilliant and we really feel sorry for them. Not only that, it was quite traumatic for the children themselves. You just can't take them to a new nursery and drop them off. You have to make sure they are settled in properly."

Mrs Smith-Lawrence was unavailable for comment this week.