A PLAYGROUP has warned it may have to close if more children do not attend.

East Thirsk Playgroup has about ten children at each of its three weekly sessions. This has left the group struggling to cover its overheads and, if the situation does not improve, officials have warned that closure cannot be ruled out.

The group opens on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.30am until 11.30am and takes children aged from two to school age.

It is based in East Thirsk Community Hall, opposite East Thirsk Community Primary School, and has been running for more than 14 years.

Last week the group put its worries over the future to one side to celebrate Christmas with a party.

Playgroup chairman Sara Goodall said one way to increase numbers could be to raise its profile in the town.

"As far as we are aware, we are the only playgroup in Thirsk," she said. "There are other nurseries, but we are just trying to make people aware that we are here.

"We have scraped through before and survived a bad patch a couple of years ago.

The low numbers now are just due to a number of factors. With the Government helping out parents that want to go back to work, they then require more than a two-hour session three times a week.

" At the moment, we are looking at a number of options but there is always the possibility that we find that we are not making enough money to meet our running costs.

"We can dip into our savings, but once they have hone, they have gone. The friends that the children make here are their friends for life."

Anyone interested in taking their children to the playgroup should contact playgroup leader Joanne Todd on (01845) 523522.

The hall also hosts a mother and toddler group on Mondays from 1.30pm until 3pm.