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01
Aug
Agreement reached in Masham pre-school's search for new home
A pre-school in Masham that has been looking for a new home may have struck lucky.
As we reported last month, Acorns Pre-School was appealing for help to find new premises because it only had two years left in its current building, where it has operated for 23 years.
Its landlord, the charity Mashamshire Community Office (MCO) said Acorns had to vacate the premises as MCO needed to maximise its income from the building to keep its own services going.
Acorns’ hopes were raised when an anonymous benefactor offered 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, apparently fell through.
Now, though, it appears it has been revived under new terms.
A spokesperson for Swinton Park told us:
The potential buyer who had made a previous offer to buy the property, and who plans to offer space to Acorns in the building, has come back to the table and we have now come to an agreement regarding the purchase of the property.
But they added that the deal was in the "very early stages" and that the parties were "nowhere near a completion or exchange date".
Appeal for help
Acorns is still appealing for £130,000 of financial support to help fund the move and to meet increased rent demands in the short term. Anyone wishing to donate can do so here.
The Stray Ferret approached Acorns for comment but have not yet received a reply.
We will bring you updates as we get them.
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