A POOLE nursery, which closed suddenly earlier this month because of its crumbling building, has taken up residence in its temporary accommodation.

Down In The Woods pre-school was given two hours notice it would be closing on November 6 as the Merley Youth Club hut was considered structurally unsafe.

Worried parents rallied around and marched to the Civic Centre to express their anger at the council’s decision.

A two-week stay at Canford School has been arranged while repair work is carried out on the nursery building.

The reprieve has provided welcome breathing space for parents and nursery staff, with the group due to return to Merley on November 30.

Parent Nicola McClure, from Merley, said: “We are delighted that parent power has done something.

“We are really proud of the fact that Debbie and the rest of the staff there have been able to do what they did.

“It's a short term fix while they make our building safe to move back into. In the short term, we are very pleased.”

Down In The Woods owner Debbie Benjafield said the pre-school would run at Canford School on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 9.30am-noon and 10am-2.30pm.

She added: “We are very pleased we have got the scheme up and running and we have got the children back in. The parents are over the moon.”

An engineer’s report identifying the Merley Youth Club building as unsafe in bad weather was handed to the council a fortnight before Down In The Woods was closed.

But it was only the onset of heavy rain and strong winds that finally compelled them to take action over the venue.

John Paton, property manager, Borough of Poole, said work had begun on floor beam support and scaffolders were also due on site.

“We have been given a provisional completion date of Wednesday November 25. This is subject to weather, school health and safety officer and structural engineers final inspection,” he said.

The long-term future for the nursery at the end of the school year in July still remains uncertain.