ALTON'S former Mayfield School is to re-open at the end of this month as the 'Mayfield House Nursery'.
Offering a baby unit for six youngsters aged from three months to two years, eight places for two to three year olds and 12 places for the three to five year olds, demand has dictated an earlier opening for the newly renovated and refurbished premises.
While the baby unit is already full, the nursery is holding open days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week (April 25,26 & 27) for interested parents to visit the premises and talk to staff.
Remembered by many as the 'Red Berret' school, Mayfield was granted a new lease of life following its closure after 56 years in April last year when it was bought by the Gange family.
Following a "hard and exhausting" deal, the new owners exchanged contracts just two days before the property was due to be sold at auction in London in November as a potential site for housing development.
The family - Peter and Mary Gange, son Christopher and daughter-in-law Melanie, formally received the keys to the Anstey Road property in January this year and since then, according to Melanie, "it has been all hands on deck" to renovate and refurbish the building for the April 30 opening.
In taking on the challenge the Gange family are determined that Mayfield should continue to serve the community of Alton as a school, but targeted at a younger age group.
According to Melanie, not only has demand highlighted a need in the Alton area for an additional nursery and child daycare centre but that it should open as soon as possible.
The nursery will be managed by Christopher Gange, a former early years teacher at Basingstoke, assisted by four fully qualified and experienced nursery nurses.
He, wife Melanie and their two children, Oscar (2) and Eliza (five months) will be living on the premises, as will Mary - a head teacher at St Dominics Savio primary school in Reading, and Peter, a retired colonel who for the past ten years has been working as a chartered engineer and will bring commercial expertise to the family team.
Contrary to last year's auction sale brochure, which advocated a six-house courtyard development to the rear, this is definitely not in the Gange's plans. Nor will there be three dwellings built in the playground area.
Once the nursery is up and running, the family is intending to seek permission to erect two houses to the rear of the school, one of which is likely to be sold in order to recoup investment in the school itself.
Access to the school is to be from Anstey Road while the two new houses would be via Anstey Mill Road subject to planning approval.
The Gange family is keen that this should be achieved in full consultation, especially with immediate neighbours.
For information about Mayfield House Nursery contact 01420 87031