A vital service for pre-school children in Blaenau Ffestiniog closed its doors for the foreseeable future.

Cylch Meithrin Blaenau, which caters for children from two-years-old closed today and won’t re-open until at least January.

Sara Ashton-Thomas, chair of Blaenau’s Cylch Meithrin group, said: “The reason we’re having to do this is the ongoing issue of there never being enough people willing to commit to or take responsibilities within the committee.

“We took the decision that it was better to shut temporarily for one term in order to create a more sustainable Cylch – that will go on serving children and families into the future – than trying to limp on and possibly face permanent closure with the current structure.”

The closure of the Blaenau Ffestiniog’s Cylch, although temporary, still has the potential to affect local families and children in the short term, particularly with there being few nurseries in the area that are free and accessible for children to attend.

As one concerned parent pointed out, Blaenau Ffestiniog is “one of the poorest towns in Gwynedd” and, for many families in the area, the availability of a Cylch is a necessity.

The Cylch aims to reopen in January, but with its future still not entirely concrete families must for now seek alternative arrangements for childcare and early education.

Sara is hopeful that the Cylch will be up and running again as soon as possible, saying: “We are currently in discussions with another organisation in the area and are hopeful that a solution will be found in the next few weeks.

“Our aim is that there will be a Cylch operating in Blaenau Ffestiniog by January. One thing is certain – as a committee, we won’t rest until a solution is found and there is a sustainable form of Cylch Meithrin in Blaenau.”