A NURSERY has been working hard over the summer to reassure parents that it is safe to return by changing its layout and creating more space to make it safe for children.

Alicia Loyeau, who owns Gaskells Day Nursery with her husband, says over 80 per cent of children have not returned to the nursery since they reopened.

She believes this is due to parents having more time to look after their children themselves due to lockdown, and more importantly fears and anxieties that parents have about their children mixing with others with the coronavirus still apparent.

To alleviate the concern of parents, the nursery has submitted plans to Bolton Council to convert its attached play centre back into a nursery, to accommodate the return of more children.

She said: “I know parents and even my staff are still worried and anxious about what is going on and we have been doing a lot of work while it’s been quiet over summer to make the nursery as safe as possible.

“We know the most important thing is space and we are looking to expand that and put in other safety measures to help get more children back.

“We’ve spent a long time with things being quiet thinking what would make parents feel happy for their children to come back and we hope this helps.”

Gaskells Day Nursery, in Gaskell Street, had to close as a result of the coronavirus at the end of March, along with other schools, except for children of key workers.

However, since the beginning of June, Gaskells and other nurseries have been allowed to welcome children back.

Plans to help keep the children safe include expanding the space through the plans submitted to the council and giving groups of children their own room to limit mixing with a dedicated outdoor area.

The outside of the nursery has also been converted into a ‘forest school’.

Mrs Loyeau plans to create a virtual tour of the new facilities for parents to look at and have their anxieties alleviated before term restarts in September.

She said: “We know parents just want to keep their children safe and we are doing everything we can to reassure them that they can do so.

“Going to nursery is so vital for kids development and we don’t want anyone to miss out on it. It’s vital that we are safe enough for children to come back in.

“We just want to provide our services again.”

n Email letters@nqnw.co.uk