Nurseries closed without notice

Hundreds of parents have been left without childcare after two south-west London nurseries closed without notice.

Happy Times in Battersea and Fulham said on its website that it "closed for the last time on 28 November" and did not elaborate on the reason.

Nearly 300 children attend the nurseries and parents said they had paid up to £2,000 for December.

An investor in the nursery said it was registered to HTC Healthcare Group and was founded in 1999 by Adam Shaw.

A spokesperson for Quester Venture Capital, the investor in the company, said: "We are sorry to have seen the failure of the company which Quester backed in 1999 when it was founded by Adam Shaw who resigned in the last few weeks.

"We are working with the management team to see if we can assist."

"We know it's unlikely we will ever see our money again, but we want this to serve as a warning to other parents"
Kirsten Grant, parent

The nursery's management has not yet commented on the closure but its website says: "It is with regret that we hereby notify you that Happy Times nurseries closed for the last time on 28th November 2008 at 6.30pm."

The nursery in Parkgate Road in Battersea had 138 children and 30 staff members and the Fulham branch in Filmer Road had 146 children and 40 staff.

Some parents were informed about the closure by nursery staff over the weekend while many others found out on Monday morning when they turned up at the gates.

Kirsten Grant, a parent, said: "Parents and staff are understandably angry and upset, but this is not just about us having a rant and rave.

"We know it's unlikely we will ever see our money again, but we want this to serve as a warning to other parents."

'Real shock'

Happy Times staff and managers said they only discovered they had lost their jobs a few days ago.

Manager Nazmin Uddin said: "It was a real shock because we didn't expect any of this to happen."

She added: "If a company is having financial difficulties that is fine... but I am sure we should have had some warning."

Battersea MP Martin Linton said: "This certainly raises the question about whether we should have better regulation of nursery providers because people as you see rely on this service.

"There's young children involved who need the nursery and they have been left high and dry by what this company has done."

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