A children's nursery which suddenly closed leaving around 15 staff without jobs or pay has gone into liquidation - with some parents hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

A creditors’ meeting will be held next week after Clayton West Day Care and Pre-Preparatory School closed, with parents who had paid in advance for care for their children now facing a fight to get their money back.

The parents are also angry that the meeting is being held in York, making it hard for some to attend.

One parent, who asked not to be named, said some paid about £50 a day for care for their children. They paid towards the end of each month to cover the following month’s care, and with the sudden announcement of the closure coming towards the end of October, many had already paid for November.

READ MORE:

The parent said: “Somewhere between 30 and 50 parents will have paid deposits. People used the nursery for different amounts of time, and for some people, who had their children looked after every day, it’s a lot of money.

“At the end of the month you pay for the following month, and this has left many out of pocket.

“A lot of the parents and staff are also very angry about the meeting being held in York. There is meant to be regard for the convenience of creditors, but with the meeting being held 40 odd miles away it makes it very difficult for some people to attend.”

Clayton West Day Care Nursery, Colliers Way, Clayton West.

Staff were summoned to an emergency meeting to be told by director Susan Walker that the nursery would cease trading with immediate effect.

One of the staff, who asked not to be named, said wages for October hadn’t been paid and said staff were also angry after being told they could still have a works Christmas party.

READ MORE:

It is understood some of the staff also pay for their own children to be cared for at the nursery.

Susan Walker was unavailable for comment.

Susan Walker, director of Clayton West Day Care & Pre-Preparatory School at Clayton West which ceased trading on October 30 2015. The picture is taken from the nursery's website.

A letter has been sent to creditors saying shareholders, at a meeting on November 4, passed a resolution for Walker Day Care Nurseries to go into liquidation, and Begbies Traynor of York has been appointed as liquidators.

A letter sent to creditors by the liquidators says Walker Day Care Nurseries, trading as Clayton West Day Care and pre-prep school, is ‘insolvent and therefore cannot meet its liabilities in full’.

Joint liquidator Rob Sadler, of Begbies Traynor, said: “Unfortunately, the business ran out of cash during the week commencing October 26 and, under pressure from HMRC, the directors took the only responsible decision and closed the business at the end of the week.

“They concluded that it would be irresponsible to ask the nursery staff to work unpaid to look after the children.

“We were appointed liquidators last week and are working closely with the directors to manage the liquidation of the business in a controlled manner, whilst also seeking a buyer for the nursery.”

Rob Sadler can be contacted on or by emailing