Toddlers playgroup in Lanarkshire faces uncertain future and calls for community support

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A long-running playgroup for toddlers in Lanarkshire could face the “heartbreak” of closure after losing out on funding.Treetops Playgroup has been running in the Muirhouse area of Motherwell for over 50 years but has seen a reduction in the number of children using the service.

That’s due mainly to a combination of housing redevelopment in the area and families receiving funding for “eligible-2s” from the Scottish Government for nursery childcare places.When the playgroup was initially formed more than five decades ago, it was named Muirhouse Playgroup and met in St Margaret’s original church hall.

It then moved to the new community centre right in the heart of Muirhouse’s new flats and tower blocks.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Mums and dads brought their children along from all over Muirhouse as well as Netherton and Carbarns in Wishaw.However, as the old houses emptied and the flats were demolished, families moved away and free childcare was made available to a proportion of children between the ages of two and three years old.Mary Mathew, a Play Leader at Treetops, has been involved with the organisation for decades.She said: “We have three play workers and can take 16 children when we’re all there, and 12 if there are two of us working.