Parents and staff have told of their delight after a college reversed its plan to close a lifeline nursery service in Cumbernauld.

New College Lanarkshire had announced the decision to close its campus nursery at the end of the year.

Initially the nursery had been earmarked for closure in the summer but it was then announced it would remain in operation until December 31 to allow time to try and find a solution.

The preferred option was for Amcol, a limited company with charity status which is a subsidiary of the college, to take over the running of the nursery, with the business already operating NCL's nursery on the Motherwell campus.

However, parents were told "significant financial challenges" meant it was "impossible to sustain" operating costs, which the college put at £1million for the past three years.

The letter sent to parents stated that Amcol had found the current business model of the nursery was "not viable", and stated "it is highly unlikely that Amcol will be in a position to assume responsibility for the Cumbernauld campus before early summer 2024".

The decision led to protests from parents, staff and supporters and a protest was held outside of the nursery last week.

On Tuesday it was announced that the nursery will now remain open, under a new operating model.

Glasgow Times: nursery

A letter sent to parents reads: "Our decision to postpone the closure of Cumbernauld Campus nursery until the end of this year was not driven by a desire to delay the inevitable. Instead, it was genuinely motivated by a desire to find a sustainable alternative operating model for the nursery.

"I am pleased to inform you that last night, the New College Lanarkshire Regional Board approved a proposal to retain the Cumbernauld Campus nursery as part of NCL by adopting a new operating model.

"Key to this proposal is the formation of a nursery development board involving staff, students, and parents to develop a sustainable five-year plan for the nursery. We will establish a strategic partnership with AMCOL, the charity that runs our Motherwell nursery, to share knowledge and best practices in the sector.

"We will also better integrate the nursery with our academic departments to provide experiential opportunities for our Early Years students, enhancing our educational offering.

"We will commence the process of establishing the nursery development board after the October Break.

"I believe that the Board will help us shape a strong foundation for the future of the Cumbernauld Campus nursery."

Students had raised concerns that a lack of childcare would make it impossible for them to continue their studies, impacting low income and single parent households most severely.

Parent Sher Khalid-Ali said: "The announcement to keep the nursery open is one which parents have fought so incredibly hard to hear. We are beyond delighted to know that our efforts have paid off and we hope this stands as a warning that childcare facilities are not up for debate when it comes to cutting costs.

"This will allow parents to continue studying and allow our children to continue receiving an extremely high standard of care.

"We would like to thank the college board for finally listening to parents and staff and we look forward to working with them in the future to ensure the continued success of our nursery."

Ashleigh Murphy, whose three-year-old son attends the nursery, previously told The Herald she was unsure if she'd be able to accept a new job without knowing where her child would be cared for.

Following the reversal of the closure she said: "As the parent of a wonderful little boy who has recently settled so well within this fantastic nursery, this is the best news to receive.

"It’s the start of the next part of this journey for the nursery and as parents we will be actively involved in supporting and contributing to this."