things are looking up for Guisborough's Hutton Lane Playgroup, thanks to intensive fundraising over Easter.
There were fears that the playgroup might have to close if attendance figures didn't improve, signalling an end to its 20-year history. But at the start of the new term the group had 22 youngsters on its books and an average of 10 toddlers at each session.
Playgroup manager Jenny Morgan said: "Things are getting better now. One of our biggest problems is that the children go into school nursery at the age of three, so we only have them for six months. "
Councillor Ian Jeffery, lead member for lifelong learning and leisure with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, explained that this situation arises because the council is beating the Government's targets by getting youngsters into nursery education by the age of three, instead of four
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