When Marta Mackenzie had to find a nursery for her son Ruairi, she spent weeks choosing what she thought was the perfect place.
But within months of settling in at the Hamilton School – once considered one of the most respected nurseries and schools in Aberdeen – their lives were “shattered” when it was suddenly shut down.
Amid claims that staff were putting children’s welfare at risk, Mrs Mackenzie and her husband, Ian, were racked with guilt wondering what kind of place they had left their son.
“You’ve just become a mum which is shocking enough,” said Mrs Mackenzie, who is originally from Alness.
“But then you drop your child off and leave him with strangers and it’s even more overwhelming. I had to learn to trust the staff very quickly.
“We thought we were being good parents by putting him there, but it just crumbled. We both felt so guilty.”
Within hours of the Hamilton School closing, Mrs Mackenzie knew she would have to act fast to find her son another nursery place, or risk giving up her job as an IT business analyst.
But every phone line at every nursery in Aberdeen had gone into meltdown while other parents also tried to get their children a space.
Thankfully, VSA’s Maisie Munro nursery at King’s Gate in Aberdeen pledged to do everything they could to help – and eventually a space for Ruairi became available.
But one of Mrs Mackenzie’s biggest fears was if she would ever trust a stranger to look after her son again.
“When I first went to see the staff, the manager Charlene gave me a cuddle and said ‘let’s sort this out’,” she said.
“And that’s exactly what they did.”
Last night, Mrs Mackenzie thanked everyone who works at Maisie Munro for all they have done for her little boy – and said they had allowed her to trust people again.
“I was so nervous dropping him off the first day, but after lunch I received a text message telling me that he had a good morning, had eaten his lunch and that he was fine,” she said.
“It was just a one-liner, but it meant so much and I knew at that point everything was going to be OK.
“There’s not enough words to thank all the staff for how they have welcomed my family into their world.
“When you walk in the morning you hear all the kids giggling and it’s a great environment for Ruairi to be in.”