A community centre will take on the running of the village nursery.
Y Ganolfan Bryncrug will take over the reins of the local nursery, a move that will give parents more say in how it is run.
Ahead of the takeover, Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts, paid a visit to the centre.
Ms Saville-Roberts was given a tour of Meithrinfa Deryn Bach, and also met representatives of other groups that use Y Ganolfan Bryncrug including Young Farmers, First Responders and Dysynni Dogs.
The community centre will keep the nursery open and operating as normal when the current owner steps back from the business at the end of the year.
Deryn Bach, which caters for up to 19 babies and young children, has been based at the centre – a former primary school – for the past eight years and attracts youngsters from Bryncrug as well as surrounding villages and the nearby town of Tywyn. It is the only nursery in the area offering both baby care and a “wraparound” service that includes local school pick-ups and drop-offs, as well as a crèche facility.
Deryn Bach’s current owner and manager Laura Griffiths said she is delighted the nursery – to be renamed Meithrinfa Gymunedol (Community Nursery) Deryn Bach – is going to continue.
She said: “I’m sad to be stepping down after starting the nursery from scratch and building it up over eight years, but the pandemic hit us quite hard and it is also very time-consuming running your own business when you have a young family. I therefore felt it was time for me to move on.
“Y Ganolfan has been brilliant in supporting the nursery, so it’s great that it wants to take over the reins. It means that not only will the nursery continue to operate as normal, but also the committee responsible for running it will include two parents, so they will have a say in steering it forward.”
George Evans, chairman of Y Ganolfan sub-committee that will run the nursery as a not-for-profit company from January, said: “We were delighted to welcome Liz Saville-Roberts to Y Ganolfan, to be able to show her around the centre – in particular the nursery – and tell her about the work we do here.
“The nursery is a great asset to the village and surrounding area and many parents rely on the valuable services it provides. Being a former purpose-built primary school, the premises is ideal for this kind of business, so it would have been a terrible shame for it to close.
“Laura has done a marvellous job and we intend to carry on her good work and ensure continuity. We’re also grateful for the rent the nursery has paid over the years, as it’s enabled us to maintain and develop the centre’s facilities.”