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DAY NURSERIES
The closure of Lodge Farm Day Nursery at the end of 1953
meant that at the beginning of the year there were 196 nursery places
available.
As I pointed out in my report last year you were not unaware
that it might be necessary to close a further day nursery, and the
Health Area Sub-Committee was in fact reluctantly forced to make
such a recommendation during 1954.
It was not easy to decide which nursery to close. At first sight
Eastbury appeared the obvious choice since the lease was due to
expire and the premises were the most unsuitable. Against this were
the facts that Eastbury catered for a greater number of children than
the other two, and that it was the only nursery sited in the western
end of the town. You were also very much aware of the need for
better accommodation for the mentally handicapped children attending
the Grieg Hall Centre, so that it was eventually decided to close the
Rippleside Nursery and to offer the buildings to the Mental Health
Sub-Committee of the County Health Committee for use as an
Occupation Centre. The nursery closed in September, but although
it had been agreed in principle to re-open the premises as an
Occupation Centre the necessary adaptions had not been completed
by the end of the year.

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