10:03am Sunday 7th September 2008
By Will Mcmanus
THE Bishop of Portsmouth has decided not to appeal against a judge's ruling that the church was unjustified' in lodging a legal claim that lead to the closure of a north Hampshire nursery school.
At the High Court in July, Mr Justice Evans-Lombe ruled that the church was not entitled to two properties in Penton Mewsey - the home of St Benedict's Pre-School and Nursery - after they were purchased by businessman Doug Rolfe and his ex-wife Vivienne in 2003.
The nursery suddenly closed in 2006, leaving 40 staff without jobs and children without school and nursery places.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Portsmouth said that it would not take the blame for the school closing, and that it brought the action because Rolfes' acquisition of properties called for a detailed explanation'.
He said: "The financial arrangements entered into in respect of the property were not within the control of the diocese and it was in relation to these arrangements that the Rolfe's took the decision to close the school.
"We would hope that Mr and Mrs Rolfe would honour the remarks made during the trial about the welfare of the sisters, in particular that Sister Scholastica was foremost in their minds."
Speaking to the Andover Advertiser last week, Mr Rolfe said he was not yet able to say whether the school or nursery could reopen, but he did state his intention to return money to people who lost out when the school shut.
He said: "We want to make sure parents who lost money get it back as well as traders and senior staff who lost redundancy pay - we feel very strongly about that.
"There is a lot more to happen just yet, but we want to let people know in the next month or so."
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