1 week Ago
A row has broken out between a nursery and village hall over fire safety concerns. Growing Minds Nursery and Pre-School, which operates out of Allhallows Village Hall on the Hoo Peninsula, sent parents an email prior to the Easter Bank Holiday weekend saying it would be forced to close. However, parents were relieved to find the nursery has reopened after an agreement was reached.
It will remain open until at least July. The dispute revolves around the nursery’s request for the installation of a new fire alarm system. The village hall committee said it already meets the required safety standards and any changes should be funded by the nursery.
There were also problems with the scheduling of when the nursery would use the hall which conflicted with other events. After discussions did not progress, the owner of Growing Minds, Mrs Princy Imthiyaz, contacted Medway Council’s deputy leader Cllr Teresa Murray (Lab) for help. The issue was referred to Cllr Chris Spalding (Ind) who represents All Saints, the ward where the nursery is, but disagreements continued and Mrs Imthiyaz sent an email to parents saying she had been told the nursery would no longer be able to operate in the village hall.
Parents and grandparents of children who used the nursery have expressed frustration and anger, firstly at the uncertainty of the nursery’s immediate future - being unsure if the children would be provided for - as well as the way the situation has been handled. One grandparent, Jo Barrett, speaking while it was still uncertain whether the nursery was to reopen after the Easter Bank Holiday, said families were left in the lurch and weren’t being considered. She said: “Families need this, young mums, single mums, working families.
Two of my grandchildren were due to start as part of the government initiative of encouraging mums to return to work.” She added some families use the breakfast club or the after-school club which the nursery also provides, and it’s incredibly important for Allhallows. She continued: “It's more important than just being a nursery for the village, for the working families, whose children are school age, that it's enabling them to use those wraparound care facilities.
“I don't understand why it had to have happened this way, the village hall is for the village people. It's owned by the village people, it all just seems very unfair.” The topic has caused upset in the village, with anger directed at the village hall committee and Cllr Spalding - however both have appealed for the tone to be calmed.
Jonathan Cook from the village hall committee said it did not oppose the nursery, but its arrangements needed to be agreed. In a post on social media he said: “We are not against having a nursery/ preschool, we actively encourage it. We really want the nursery to proceed for the benefit of all but we need to establish proper ground rules for the safety of both sides.
“The vitriol of certain individuals on Facebook has been hurtful, we have followed the mediators advice not to comment whilst they interpolate the situation. “We do not want to cause hurt for any parents but we need to get this sorted if things are to continue.” The Allhallows village hall is owned by the village and run by a small committee; the parish council has an arms-length overseeing role of it.
At the Allhallows Parish Council meeting on April 23, Cllr Spalding and the village hall committee were due to attend, however both gave apologies and were not there. They did provide reports, but the village hall’s report did not include any reference to the Growing Minds nursery situation. KentOnline approached the village hall committee and Mrs Imthiyaz for comment.
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