RESIDENTS are fighting to keep vital care services alive in the face of massive cuts and closures.
Across the region day care services, which provide valuable meeting places for elderly residents to socialise, are facing closure.
On June 1 Age Concern, who have provided funding for the weekly groups for more than 10 years, will withdraw their vital funding and leave the groups fighting to stay alive.
Now with the deadline fast approaching residents from across Cheshire have come together to save the struggling care services in Tarporley, Kelsall, Helsby, Malpas and Tattenhall.
Meeting at Tarporley Community Centre every Friday, members of the newly formed Rural Community Services (RCS) group are preparing to take over and run the centres from June 1.
Volunteers on the RCS board are sacrificing their free time and travelling from all over the rural area to volunteer to save the centres situated in their villages and towns.
Chairman of the RCS board, Helsby parish councillor Frank Thomas, said the group demonstrates Big Society at its best.
“Our aim is basically to set up this company to run five day care centres. At the moment only two clubs have had to vacate, the other clubs are still in their premises.
“It has been a lot of hard work, there is an awful lot of preparation to be done. This is Big Society at its best, the group has been set up in such a way that we should be able to take on other projects in the community.”
The group has received funding from Cheshire West and Chester Council, who have provided around £35,000 towards the company’s running and staffing costs for the next three years.
