MUM Aimee Cooper has organised a petition in support of a Wisbech nursery school that is threatened with closure.

Aimee says she has nothing but praise for the Oasis Nursery School - and is calling on parents and carers to sign up before December 9 to protect its future.

She has been busy collecting signatures today, and plans to hand in the document to Cambridgeshire County Council next week.

She said: “I hope the petition will make the council think about other options, it shows that parents want to keep the nursery open.”

Cambridgeshire County Council claims the nursery is under-used and that the adjoining Oasis children’s centre needs more space. The authority says there are two options - close the nursery or look for another provider to run the establishment.

Representatives of the council were on hand to speak to parents and carers this morning, and there is another chance to get involved with the consultation process on Thursday December 8 at the Oasis Community Centre between 10am and 1pm, when visitors can talk to council review manager Jemma Keegan.

Aimee, who has a child who has attended the nursery for three years, said: “I feel that I must take this opportunity to do all I can to support he nursery and its staff.

“I have nothing but praise and thanks for Mandy, Jane, Nicola and the rest of the team who continue to support parents and children in a very positive and personal way, despite the current process.

“Time is now tight, as the deadline for responses is December 9, so I have prepared a petition requesting that the council re-consider the options on offer.

“I would therefore call on other parents and carers who share my positive experience of the Oasis Nursery to make their views heard and to sign the petition which is now available to sign.”

Cambridgeshire County Council says the nursery has been less than half full since it opened in 2005, and is not covering its costs.

A spokesman said: “Furthermore, the adjoining Oasis Children’s Centre needs to run more services to help families in the community, but cannot do so at the moment because it is short of space and funding.”

The authority says that 69 per cent of the children who use the nursery live within a mile of it; and 200 other nursery spaces are available in Wisbech within one mile of the Oasis nursery.

Anyone wanting to sign the petition can contact Aimee on 07919 150985.

Residents have been asked to submit their views to the Council by 9 December 2011. The consultation is available and on-line feedback can be left at: http://www,cambridgeshire.gov.uk/childrenyoung people/familyinformation/earlyyears