A WINWICK businessman, who spent more than a year renovating a disused Catholic church, has big plans to expand his nursery and create an after school club in the village.

Paul Wright, aged 34, opened Safe Hands Day Nursery eight months ago after rescuing the old church, which is a grade two listed building, on Hollins Drive.

And Paul, who lives in Crompton Drive, Winwick Park, has high hopes for the lodge, which is the only other remaining building on the former Winwick Hospital site.

Paul was hoping to open the after school club at Winwick Leisure Centre but expansion work, costing £242,000, is not expected to be completed until early next year and long-standing bookings for the existing rooms meant the businessman had to search for alternative premises.

He said: "The old church is open plan and we needed a separate room for the older children, but with it being a listed building we can't extend it.

"We wanted to use the leisure centre and had an Ofsted inspection of the facilities ready for September.

"But now we've agreed a price on the last remaining building of Winwick Hospital and we need to spend thousands of pounds redecorating and landscaping over the next four weeks."

Safe Hands Link Club is due to open in the old lodge at the start of the next school term and will provide supervision for 32 children after school.

Paul added: "We'll start with afternoons and holidays but hopefully this will grow to include mornings as well.

"We could expand to look after 80 children but we're going to take things slowly opening the ground floor first and then the upstairs."

l Youngsters at Safe Hands Day Nursery helped to raise £250 for the NSPCC during a recent sponsored toddle.