THREE people have been made redundant after the crèche at Penarth Leisure Centre closed due to “very low levels of usage and the high cost of keeping the facility open”.

In December last year gym user and mum-of-two Claire Brungert said that the closure of the crèche would be a devastating blow to parents who wanted to use the leisure centre.

She warned that the staff were “very dedicated” and that “nobody, including the staff, wants the crèche to close.”

As a result of the closure three part-time staff , who worked for three hours five mornings a week, have been made redundant.

The crèche at the leisure centre, which catered for parents so they could take part in exercise classes, closed for the last time on Friday, January 10.

Chris True, area manager of Parkwood Community Leisure, which operates Penarth Leisure Centre on behalf of Vale of Glamorgan Council, said: “After we took over the operation of the leisure centre in August 2012, we actively promoted the crèche services to customers and the surrounding community, in addition to our members.

“We also registered with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) to enable the crèche to stay open for longer and to allow parents to leave their children in our care while they went off site.

“Sadly, despite our best efforts, we did not see any increased usage and, following a review, we took the decision to close the crèche in order to ensure there was no adverse impact on the wider operation of the leisure centre, which is currently run under subsidy from the council.”

He added: “We appreciate the crèche was valued by some of our customers but unfortunately, given the very low levels of usage and the high cost of keeping the facility open, we had no option other than to close it.”

“Regrettably, we can confirm that the crèche facility was closed on Friday, January 10, with the loss of three part-time positions.”