A NURSERY under threat of closure has been thrown a lifeline of three months to try and ensure its survival.

Health bosses have granted the reprieve to Riverdale Nursery at Wharfedale General Hospital, giving time for a massive publicity campaign to boost numbers and prove it as a viable prospect.

Cash-strapped chiefs at the United Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (ULTHT) said the £20,000 subsidies received by the nursery would be best spent on other NHS resources.

On average just eight to ten of the 20 places available were being used. Set up as a staff nursery, only half of those places were taken by the children of ULTHT workers.

But after meeting with anxious parents, the decision was made to give Riverdale a second chance while every effort is made to publicise the service.

Now those parents are working overtime on a campaign to raise its profile. One mum, who did not wish to be named, said they were determined to keep the nursery open.

"We understand and agree that the ULTHT cannot keep subsidising it and that it was originally opened for the children of staff.

"But publicity has not been very wide so far, either internally or externally, not enough people even know it exists.

"It's really, really good - an excellent facility and the staff are brilliant. That is why we feel so strongly about it, you want to keep hold of something like that."

Riverdale Nursery opened as a creche for hospital staff in November 1987 before taking children aged between two and five from across the area.

Open Monday to Friday from 7.15am to 5.30pm, it offers a vital service for many working parents.

Parents were warned of its possible closure in letters from Kim Gay, ULTHT women's and children's centre director, last month. She said that continuing low numbers would force charges up if the nursery remained open.

But Mike Dando, whose child Alex attends the nursery three times a week, said his and many others' livelihoods would be threatened.

"If this is taken away, I will suffer - my work is taken away as well."

"There isn't the same alternative in the town, there's only the option of two hours a morning, two days a week, that sort of thing.

"But if more people were aware of it, it could well be very popular and that could be the saving grace.

"At the moment it suffers because I know from talking to people about this that most don't even realise it's there," he said.

Maxine Dennis, of ULTHT, said the reprieve was 'good news'. She said: "Some funding has been identified to try and increase the use of the nursery and a massive publicity campaign is getting started."

Otley Town Council is offering its support by publicising the nursery in the next issue of the newsletter Otley Matters.

At a meeting of the community development committee this week, Councillor Sue Egan (Lab, Manor ward) said it should also be included in the outline business case for the new Wharfedale hospital.

For more information about the Riverdale Nursery, contact Carol Longbottom on (0113) 3923658, or direct on (0113) 3922058.

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