CHILDREN in Steeple Ashton may be missing out on early education if someone cannot be found to take over as play leader at their pre-school.

The current play leader, Cathy Lazarus, will be leaving in April and, despite three months of searching, no-one has been found to step in to her place.

Mrs Lazarus said: "We have a lovely group here and I just can't believe we might have to close.

"Some of the parents are starting to look around but they are finding that at the places they want to go there are waiting lists."

The pre-school, which caters for children aged three to five, has been in the village for nearly 25 years and Mrs Lazarus has been working there for five of those.

She now has to leave because of family commitments and the school cannot carry on without a suitably qualified person.

There are places for 16 youngsters at the school, which is always close to full, and children come from Keevil, Hilperton, Trowbridge and even as far away as Devizes as well as from the village itself.

Sharon Evans' three-year-old daughter Phoebe loves going and she feels its closure would be a great blow to the village.

She said: "It is another part of the community that the young mums are really keen to keep. We have lost the shop, the post office has gone and the school has dropped into low numbers."

For Mrs Evans and many others the pre-school is a place where parents have made friends as well as the children, who play together after school and already know other pupils when they go on to primary.

The pre-school has just passed its Ofsted inspection with flying colours and so has been guaranteed funding for the next two years.

In October it also secured over £1,000 in lottery funding from the Awards for All Scheme, which was used to put in climbing equipment.