TWELVE months ago the future looked bleak for one popular Hampshire pre-school.

Facing eviction and then hit by a huge fire, things could not have got much worse for the pre-school that had been an important part of the Netley Abbey community for 50 years.

Upset parents staged a protest against the proposed closure of the pre-school after its base in the village’s recreation ground was condemned and Hound Parish Council said it could not afford the £16,000 repairs bill.

But 2009 spells a fresh start for the much-loved pre-school after Netley Abbey Infant School offered it a lifeline.

Familiar Netley Abbey Pre-school’s 56 children have moved to a new home inside a converted classroom at the school.

Pre-school assistant Sylvia Williams said: “We managed to limp along and keep running last year, but we would have had to shut down if it wasn’t for the school.

“The new building we have is lovely – the children love it. It will be good for the children too because it means the school will be familiar to them when they make the transition from pre-school to infant school.”

The parish council served the pre-school its eviction notice last January after a survey revealed the huge extent of work needed to bring the pavilion building in Station Road – the pre-school’s home since 1957 – up to modern health and safety standards.

Then the pre-school’s building was gutted by fire in March. Flames destroyed the kitchen and a garage full of equipment.

Funding for the new pre-school home has come from grants and donations. The Butlocks Heath Trust has given a donation and the infant school is applying for funding from the National Lottery and Hampshire County Council.

Interior work costing £30,000 has already been paid for. The school is now aiming to raise £15,000 to create an outdoor play area.

Netley Abbey Infant School head teacher Jonathan LeFevre said: “We were approached by the pre-school when they were given notice. We wanted to give them another home because otherwise they would have had to close. We wanted to do something to help the local community. It would have been a disaster for the village if the pre-school had had to close.”