after a last minute agreement averted a possible stand-off.

Nursery operators feared the children would have nowhere to go after a row erupted between Canon James Francis of Christ Church in Devonshire, and Sabrina Kirby, who runs Woodlands Playhouse Nursery and Preschool from the hall of Christ Church.

Mrs. Kirby is up in arms that the church vestry wanted her to close her Devonshire nursery for a day.

But Canon Francis maintained that the nursery had been given weeks of notice that the hall would be required today for a church annual general meeting and dinner.

But last night, vestry member John Barritt said an agreement had been reached under which the nursery would be allowed to use the hall today but would have to close at 4 p.m. to allow the congregation to set up the hall for the dinner.

Canon Francis said earlier yesterday that the arrangement with the nursery was to share the church hall.

"Our agreement was that if and when the church needs the hall, they would make it available to us. We gave her ample notice that we would need the hall on May 31. We told her during a meeting on May 12.'' Canon Francis said the nursery had also been impeding church worship and functions.

"The present occupant takes up so much of the church hall, we thought it would be more of a sharing, it's not a school hall.'' he said.

"We need it evenings and especially weekends for worship and functions. We haven't been able to have a church function there since the nursery has been in operation. Our members have had to understand, and they can live with that.

"I do not think we're being unreasonable,'' he added. "We have been trying to cooperate with her. I think if she had told her parents about it as soon as we had told her, they could have easily made alternate arrangements.

"She just decided she would not do it, and now we will look like the bad guys.'' Explaining that Mrs. Kirby was given notice to vacate the premises by the end of April, Canon Francis noted that the parish vestry were being very accommodating and he was insistent that they are acting fairly.

"She does not have exclusive rights to the church hall under any contract,'' he said.

Admitting that she is actively looking for a new location for her Devonshire nursery, Mrs. Kirby is adamant that she pays rent for use of the Hall and cannot reasonably be expected to relocate or close whenever the parish vestry wanted.

In a letter to the Vestry, she stated her concerns and noted that when it decided to rent the facility to her, she thought it would have thought of alternative venues to hold its meetings.

Mrs. Kirby said relocating the nursery, which caters to more than 40 babies and toddlers, for a day would be extremely complicated.