Staff and parents at Little Alberts Pre-school have given up hope and conceded it will have to close.

The pre-school was threatened with closure earlier this year when the RAF said it would pull its support when the base closed later this year.

A consortium of interested parties, including the Hullavington-based Army squadrons and MP James Gray, thought they had come to an agreement to keep the centre open until the tri-Forces technical training base opened.

But that has now fallen through and pre-school manager Jean Rimmer has told parents they will be closing in less than a month.

A teary Mrs Rimmer said: “We have come to the end. We are really, really disappointed.

“We don’t feel we have had the full support of RAF Lyneham.

“We do understand the closure team have a job to do and need to move forward but it is a loss for the village.”

Jodie Nash, a mum of children at the pre-school, headed the parents’ committee which attempted to save the centre.

She said: “It is definitely closing. It is so upsetting but we can’t do any more.”

Little Alberts will have its final session on July 20. The closure means that Mrs Rimmer, her assistant and five other staff will be made redundant.

Mr Gray said although the mood among parents was sombre he had not given up hope.

He said: “I am still waiting to hear back from the government about it. I have spoken to the Army, to government ministers and the RAF’s chief of air staff in the last week.”

But Mrs Nash said the decision had already been made.

She said: “It is too late. It wouldn’t be fair to the staff to keep it dragging on because they need to be able to go and find new jobs.”