BBC Voices producer Matt Watkinson finds out about the problems faced by Beehive After School Club:

The Beehive After School Club offers a service unique to the Eastfield area. It’s a small operation catering for around 20 children of school age, and currently uses Braeburn School hall.

Unfortunately for Beehive, the school needs its premises back … there's no falling out, just a need for the extra space, and unless Beehive can find alternative premises, it may have to close.

The implications for parents, carers and guardians who use the service are stark.

If Beehive closes, they either find another place to look after the children, or they stop working. Beehive’s looking, but no-one’s come up with anywhere suitable so far.

The organisers need around £200,000 in funding. They've got some of it arranged, but they’re not eligible until they find premises.

Chris Parsons

Chris Parsons is one of the coordinators of Beehive, which offers childcare for children from 4 upwards. "We've got paints and pencils so they can do free play, we have plaster of Paris, and clay, so they can be scientific or creative, or they can just come in from school and chill out…but we always put things on for them. It’s a free choice.

"We’re open almost every day, except Bank Holidays. During summer holidays we open full days, and after school between 3 and 6.

"If I wasn't doing this, I’d just be a Mum, because I've been a single Mum for quite some years now. I've been a dinner lady previously.

"It’s how I got to love working with children. I wanted to be a teacher, but I couldn't afford to, so I got together with my friend, Cathy and we decided to do something for the children of Eastfield.

"Even as a teacher, you can’t be sure you’d get a job where you want, so we’re training to be play workers and assessors here. We go into more detail, making play work a real profession; children need to play and they need to learn how to play.

"In school, they do curriculum work, but when they’re not there, they need to interact. We get great enjoyment and we learn all the time.

"People rely on us so they can bank on getting a job – they ask if we've got places because they’re going for work and they can plan to get a seasonal job, or if they go to college, they know when they leave and they’re looking for work, their children can have somewhere to go.

"It doesn't matter how many we have. Even if it was just one child, one parent can still go out to work

"In the holiday, we have children from as far away as the Barrowcliff estate because their Mums work on Eastfield. There’s nothing else like this here in after school and holiday care.

"This is registered, it’s not open access and the children have registration forms, they have to be signed for by a named person. There’s nowhere else around here for the children to go".

Cathy Richardson is Chris Parson’s business partner at Beehive.

Cathy Richardson

"We both wanted to go into teaching, but couldn't afford to go to University. We went to Open Doors and came up with the idea of working and having our children looked after at the same time.

"When Ofsted became involved in Out of School Care, 100 % of staff needed to be qualified, so all our staff are training towards NVQ Level 2. Because of lack of assessors, ours has to come from York at the moment, Chris and I are training to do the job ourselves.

"We have parents here who've gone on to further education because they know their children are safe".

Ellen Blake is an assistant. "I do play work in the holidays, I’m doing my NVQ…I’m a trainee play worker now, but in a couple of years I’ll be qualified. I like it, every day’s different. You’re constantly occupied, on your feet, going out on trips; you just enjoy it.

Vicky Leather

Vicky Leather’s another worker. I've been here for 6 months, I really enjoy my full time work. There are all sorts of children here – they’re the ones who lead the activities.

"I think it’s important we’re here, parents couldn't work without the facility, and it helps their children socially.

Marie Patterson’s a Mum and a mobile cleaner. Beehive looks after her child. "It’s fun", she says, "reliable and the kids are nice, the staff are friendly But they need bigger premises to survive, for the staff as well as for the kids.

" If they closed, I couldn't go out to work…it would be soul destroying..

Matt Watkinson
Producer Eastfield VOICES