SIR,

I would like to raise awareness of the difficulties being faced by Monmouth Community Under Fives.

Having been forced to leave their premises last year, they have done an amazing job at providing an excellent standard of childcare for my eldest son at their temporary home in the Bridges Community Centre.

However, despite a brief reprieve, their funding for three-year-olds was withdrawn by the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, apparently due to the fact that the children had an insufficient outdoor play area (I personally do not believe this to be the case).

Due to this momentously ridiculous decision, many parents have been forced to relocate their children to the local authority nursery.

It is with a great deal of reluctance that I, too, will be sending my son to another small playgroup where his place is funded.

I am sure I speak for all these parents when I say how upsetting this is for both myself and my three-year-old, who absolutely loves his nursery and all the people there who look after him so well.

I am disgusted that my choice, and that of my son, has been taken away, and that a nursery which has been providing superb childcare for so many years is under threat due to a bizarre decision which did not take into account all the fundraising and planning for the future which was well under way.

Luisa Lee-Smith

(Monmouth)