Sudden nursery closure leaves Enfield parents ‘devastated’

Cedar Park Nursery told shocked parents last night it is going into administration and closing for good, reports James Cracknell

An Enfield nursery has been slammed by parents and a local MP after it closed with just a day’s notice.

Cedar Park Day Nursery, which operates from Wolverton in Hadley Road, only informed parents yesterday (Tuesday 28) that it would be closing for good and that they would have to find alternative childcare arrangements.

Several parents have reached out Dispatch to say they are “shocked”, “devastated” and “saddened” by the news. The nursery itself did not respond to a request for comment, but explained in its letter to parents that it had “exhausted all options” to remain open and would go into administration.

On Facebook, Enfield North MP Feryal Clark slammed the sudden closure and said: “Absolutely heartbroken for the parents who have just been told by Cedar Park Nursery that their nursery is closing tonight!

“The owners of this nursery clearly knew they were in financial trouble before tonight but chose not to tell or give notice to dozens of parents.

“Many children are out of childcare from tomorrow and parents are left scrambling for last minute nursery places! This is disgusting behavior.”

Parent Andrew Rixon said: “Our two-year-old was at Cedar Park and you can imagine the shock, sadness and deep frustration to be told without any notice of this closure.

“What has come to light throughout the day is how this closure – citing bankruptcy – was handled (…) Staff received no notice, lost their jobs and were not paid for their work in May”.

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In her message to parents explaining the closure, Cedar Park principal Leslie Beech said: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce the permanent closure of our nursery in Wolverton with immediate effect.

“This decision was not taken lightly and comes after much deliberation and consideration of all possible options to maintain our nursery. We have been in discussions for the past 12 months to sell the business, however unfortunately the deal fell through at the last minute and the lease allowing Cedar Park Schools to operate from Wolverton is due to expire at the end of the week.

“We deeply regret any disruption this closure will undoubtedly cause you all. Our primary concern has always been the welfare and development of the children in our care, however we have exhausted every effort to allow the business to continue and of course without a lease we have no building to operate from.

“Cedar Park Schools will soon be going into administration and we apologize for what will no doubt be a terrible inconvenience to everyone.”

However, parents continued to press for more answers about how the closure was announced so suddenly. Zoya Ahmed said: “We are deeply disturbed by this sudden turn of events and seek immediate transparency and accountability regarding the financial and operational aspects of this closure.

“The sudden closure of Cedar Park Nursery has left many families in a difficult position, both logistically and financially. Many of us have paid significant deposits for the next term and have not received any information regarding the return of these funds.

“This situation has caused considerable distress to parents who have relied on Cedar Park Nursery for their childcare needs.”

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