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Sadness has been expressed after a beloved pre-school, which has been at the heart of the community for decades, confirmed it will be closing at the end of the academic year.

Andy Pandy Pre-school, which is run by the Portchester Community Association, has been operating since 1994 and has offered families an affordable option for childcare.

But the board of trustees for the charity, which runs the pre-school, has made the decision to close at the end of the academic year after reviewing its finances in a bid to keep the association afloat.

The chair of trustees, Bron Kirk, said: ‘It was an incredibly difficult decision to close the pre-school and it wasn’t a quick decision.

Andy Pandy Pre-school will be closing at the end of the academic year

‘The thing, of course, is that Andy Pandy is not a business, it was started in 1962 when the Portchester Community Association started and over the years with the introduction of Ofsted, it has changed with the times.

‘We decided that we could just about carry on the pre-school until the school year finishes so that the children won’t be chopped and changed, so it gives them that transition period. The staff are very good in making sure that the transition period is as seamless as possible.’

The association is one of the longest running charities in Hampshire and it has offered a range of services to people in the community including the lunch club and the food bank.

Andy Pandy Pre-school in Portchester is going to be closing its doors this summer

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