Trevu Children's Centre in Camborne faces being closed and the site soldto developers.
Sue Winter, a local parent and campaigner, said, 'It is very ironic anddeeply sad that at a time when children's centres nationally arecelebrating their achievements, our centre is effectively beingdecommissioned, despite the wonderful job it has carried out serving thefamilies of Camborne.
'Cornwall Council is hastily shoehorning the groups and services thathave been based there into unsuitable and already overstretched venuesaround the town, rather than utilising the fantastic building it alreadyhas at Trevu.'
In May, groups using the Trevu centre heard that it was to close and besold off for housing at the beginning of September.
The council has claimed that running costs for the building are too highand the heating system has failed and will cost too much to repair.
After a meeting with the protestors, Cornwall Council chief executiveKevin Lavery assured them that the centre could stay open until asuitable alternative was found.
However, the campaigners have said that is not the reality, as thecouncil is refusing to fix the heating system. They say this means itwill not be feasible to use the building as soon as colder weathercomes.
Groups that have been using the centre are looking for alternativepremises amid the uncertainty about the building.
'It is going to end up in all the services being scattered in differentparts of Camborne, and the whole ethos of Sure Start services all beingunder one roof will be lost,' said another parent campaigner.
The future of Trevu Children's Centre was being discussed at a meetingby Cornwall Council as Nursery World went to press.
Campaigners said they felt there was some hope for the centre asCamborne councillor David Biggs said, 'I am guessing there is going tobe a shift in policy at that meeting.'
This week is Sure Start Children's Centre Week and in the coming monthsa Government campaign will promote awareness of Sure Start Children'sCentres.
