THE five remaining children's centres in the south of Wiltshire will be run by the charity Spurgeons after they signed a multi-million pound deal with the council.
It comes after Wiltshire Council decided last year to close 11 of the 28 centres, with many being converted into pre-schools or nurseries as the council looks to meet a new government provision which entitles working parents to 30 hours free childcare a week.
Contracts worth £3.5million to provide services around the county were split into four areas and Spurgeons were chosen to run centres in Salisbury, Bulford, Tisbury and Mere.
The centres, which are aimed at children under five-years-old, offer a place of sanctuary for parents in crisis, professional advice and a range of parental courses. They are free to parents and are staffed by professional childcare workers.
Spurgeons Chief Executive Ross Hendry said: “Spurgeons has a proud record of supporting children, young people and families in Wiltshire since 2011 so we are delighted to extend our network of children’s centres across the county and establishing deeper roots with communities across the county."
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