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

East Thirsk Playgroup, in Thirsk, has about ten children attending each of its three weekly sessions.

This has left the group struggling to cover its overheads and, if the situation does not improve, the chairwomen has warned that closure cannot be ruled out.

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

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

Yesterday, group members put their worries over the future to one side to celebrate Christmas as the youngsters enjoyed a party.

Playgroup chairwoman Sara Goodall said one of the keys to improving the numbers of children attending could be to raise their profile in the town.

She said: "As far as we are aware, we are the only playgroup in Thirsk. 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 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.

"There is a possibility of closure. 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 gone, 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 from 1.30pm to 3pm on a Monday.