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25
Jul
Masham pre-school facing loss of its home appeals for help to find a new one
A pre-school in Masham is appealing for help to find and fund new premises, after being told it must leave the building it has called home for more than two decades.
Acorns Pre-school has been a fixture in the Mashamshire Community Office (MCO) building for 23 years, but MCO, which is a charity, says demand for its services has grown, and it needs to maximise the income from its building to keep them going.
It has agreed to allow Acorns to remain in the building until the end of August 2028, at a higher annual fee, but less than half the market rental value.
Mashamshire Community Office in Masham.
Acorns manager Val Horspool told us:
While this was not a decision in which Acorns had any involvement, it is one that we have had no choice but to accept. Rather than dwelling on what we are losing, our focus is firmly on the future and on securing a fantastic new home for Acorns where we can continue to nurture and support local children for the next 23 years and beyond.
So we’re launching a project to fund and secure a new home, and the funds we raise will also help us to meet increased rent demands in the short term.
'We have no other choice'
MCO said the change was necessary because it was having to do more with fewer resources.
As well as supplying cut-rate venues for Masham Parish Council, the Community Library and Acorns, MCO provides visitor information, and supports local business networks and tourism.
In its first year of operation, it responded to 3,300 enquiries, but in the past year it has responded to 19,000 much more complex enquiries – yet its core funding is less now than when it opened in 2003.
MCO manager Hayley Jackson said:
MCO’s services are only around 40% covered and every year we have to raise the remainder to cover costs ourselves. We do this from fundraising, grants and earning our own income. The current economic situation is making this impossible as there is so little additional funding around.
Financially, we are already subsidising our running costs from our reserves, and these will be dangerously low by September 2028 and as such, we have no other choice but to maximise income from our building to keep the services of our charity going.
Anonymous benefactor
Acorns hoped help might be at hand when an anonymous benefactor offered to stump up £400,000 to buy a building on the Swinton Estate and let half of it to the pre-school at a reduced rate. But that deal, for the former Nearly New Cashmere site, fell through this week.
The Nearly New Cashmere shop on the Swinton Estate.
A spokesperson for the Swinton Estate told us:
Swinton did receive an offer to purchase the property, but it was not at a level that the Estate considered sufficient. In addition, the proposal was contingent on several planning-related changes, including conversion of part of the property to residential accommodation.
During the period that the property was actively marketed, Swinton Estate did not receive a commercial rental offer from Acorns and therefore did not have the opportunity to assess any such proposal against alternative options for the property.
It was saddened to hear that the facility at the Community Office will be ending and will continue to discuss with interested parties what and where the future provision will be.
Possible solutions
But there may be solutions on the horizon. Ms Jackson said:
We understand that Masham Primary School are open to discussing the use of their space as a potential venue for a pre-school as they are currently only at 50% capacity, and we hope the community get behind Acorns to help them find a longer-term affordable venue through fundraising activities and any other support they can offer.
Masham Primary School.
She also suggested there could be more help available for Acorns in the future. She said:
We’ve thought long and hard about how to generate our own funds to survive as a small rural charity and have looked at other successful models.
We like the concept of using the space to generate income that can safeguard MCO’s work and in addition, create a community fund for our town and surrounding villages too, like the Nidderdale Plus charity shop model in Pateley Bridge, which generates £20,000 per year for local charities and community groups.
Plans are only in their infancy, but if we can establish a model such as this, once it is up and running, we have committed to ringfence 15% of the new community fund to support Acorns and pre-school provision in Masham permanently.
The children's response to donations towards Acorns' new home.
In the meantime, a shorter-term solution will be needed, but one stumbling block is the lack of properties available on the market. Acorns, which employs five people, can accommodate up to 20 children at a time, and also runs a breakfast club for about 12 children during term time, and a holiday club used by around 25 families.
Ms Horspool said:
Any premises would have to be the right size and also have some outdoor space, but there’s just nothing out there at the moment. So if anyone knows of a suitable property, please do let us know.
Anyone wishing to donate to Acorns Pre-school's fundraising appeal can do so here.
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