PASSIONATE parents have formed an action group to try and save a Darlington pre-school from closure.

It was announced this week that the Elm Ridge Methodist Church pre-school will close next summer due to dwindling numbers and financial pressures.

Shocked parents have set up a Save Elm Ridge Pre-school group and feel confident they can find a way to rescue the facility.

Alice Heslop, whose three-year-old son Louie attends the school, said: “When I read the letter about it closing I was so shocked and upset, I had a massive lump in my throat.

“We’re unhappy that there wasn’t a chance for parents to talk about it or anything, it was like; that’s it, it’s closing.

“People were coming into playgroup on Monday morning and parents were just bursting into tears.”

Mother-of-three Sallyann Hutton, whose two-year-old son Kian goes to Elm Ridge, said: “What we are trying to say (to the church) is that there is people power.

“As parents we have skills we can contribute, we can advertise the group on social media and spread the word to a wider audience.”

Mother-of-two Helen Cadman added: “We can do more events and help out all round, not just selfishly for the playgroup, but because we are community at the end of the day.”

Parent Cassie Cooper, who has had three children attend Elm Ridge since 2009, said: “We are all very upset that things have come to this and we are willing to put up a fight; we have a strong parent committee and we will fight this decision.”

Sarah Tilley has worked at the pre-school for more than two years and said that she was touched by the solidarity shown by parents.

She said: “We accepted the decision, we just thought we couldn’t fight it, then when the parents started fighting we thought ‘right, we should be fighting too, these are our jobs’.”

The Rev Andrew Stobart, a superintendent minister with responsibility for Elm Ridge, said closure was a difficult decision to make but the pre-school is no longer sustainable.

He said: “I have tried to reassure them (the parents) that we are open and listening and willing to hear proposals in the New Year, but our position is that as a church we are not able to maintain a pre-school beyond next year.”

The pre-school has been running for more than 40-years and some elderly members of the church have said they would boycott Elm Ridge if the closure goes ahead.

People can join the Save Elm Ridge Pre-school group on facebook.