PARENTS desperate to save a pre-school which operates from a church with a dwindling congregation have suggested joining the worshippers to save it from closure.

About 40 parents of children who attend Lollipops Pre-school, at Eastwood United Reformed Church, in Saffory Close, Eastwood, gathered at the Oakwood pub, in Rayleigh Road, to come up with ideas on how to save the privately-run pschool.

It is facing the axe because the church, which has only three elderly members remaining, is closing in July and will be immediately sold off by its owners, the UFC Eastern Synod.

Parents are willing to go down any avenue to save the pre-school, including joining the congregation because there are no other nursery places in the area.

But church member Wilf Tyler, 83, said it was not necessarily “bums on pews” that was the problem.

He said: “There are actually dozens of jobs in the running of the church that are done by three people – which we feel we are no longer able to do – so it’s not to be taken lightly as it is a massive commitment.

“Our responsibilities cover everything from jobs like getting to church early to turn on the heating, maintaining the building, booking a minister or, if you can’t find anyone to take the service, are you going to be prepared to take four hours preparing a sermon to take it yourself?

“There’s rather more to it than you might think.”

Lollipops owner, Diane Allmark, told parents it was proving difficult to find a new venue due to the number of regulations governing how a pre-school must operate.

The group did, however, discuss approaching Edwards Hall Primary School, and former Westborough councillor Paul Collins said he would help in discussions with Southend Council with assistance in finding a venue.