Eddie Izzard joins fight to save Bexhill nurseries from closure

East Sussex County Council announced Cygnets, in Egerton Road, and Rainbow, in Ninfield Road, will shut on December 31 as part of a wider set of changes intended to save £2.6m from the authority’s children’s services budget.

The closures would result in 18 redundancies for childcare staff, a significant loss of childcare spaces - around 160 - and a potential loss of income and employment for parents who would be unable to find sufficient childcare for their young children.

Bexhill Family Collective, a not-for-profit, community interest company set up by parents submitted a proposal to the county council in August to take over running the two centres.

After meeting with the community interest company, Eddie Izzard decided to add his support for the campaign.

He arranged two last-minute shows to his tour – Great Expectations and Wunderbar – which will be at the De La Warr Pavilion at 3pm and 8pm respectively. All proceeds will go to the Bexhill Family Collective.

Eddie Izzard has also recently taken to Twitter to challenging the county council on their decision, requesting them to answer the Bexhill Family Collective’s emails and phone calls.

Nikki Collins, one of the directors of the group, said: “We are lost for words at how amazing it is to have someone like Eddie Izzard supporting our cause to take over Rainbow Childcare Centre and Cygnets Childcare Centre instead of closure.

“After meeting us (the families that formed the CIC) Eddie arranged both of these last minute shows as a fundraising opportunity and for our mission on wanting to save these nurseries to have a platform. His generosity and passion for Sidley and Bexhill is just phenomenal.

“We want to stop our 2021 school starters from having an interrupted last year of nursery, local families to not have to commute on public transport at an additional cost just to find childcare, parents to not have to leave employment due to no childcare that aren’t just term time hours, and also to avoid the wonderful staff at both of these settings from being made redundant.

“We are hearing daily from parents who are struggling with this situation as there just isn’t the space for our children at any other nursery.”

Tickets for today’s shows can be purchased here:

Great Expectations – 3pm https://www.dlwp.com/event/great-expectations-sept20/

Wunderbar – 8pm https://www.dlwp.com/event/wunderbar-sept20/