Defeated, but Helen Ley campaigners won’t give up their fight

The site in Blackdown, which offers residential respite care for people with multiple sclerosis and is also the permament home of 11 people, will have to close unless its current owner, the MS Society, finds an alternative provider by November next year.

A group of supporters of the centre travelled to London on Saturday to hand in a 30,000 signature petition against the charity’s plans before its board of trustees held its annual meeting, at which members voted in favour of the plans. A motion of no confidence against the board was also lost.

Volunteer Martyn Tilson, chairman of the Helen Ley Action Group, said: “I am very disappointed and devastated for the guests and residents.

“At the moment all we can do is regroup and take the fight on in whatever way is appropriate.”

Mr Tilson said the group was considering taking legal action, adding: “Residents here who needed long term care sold their homes to move in to the court for whole-of-life care. They of course feel betrayed by the society.

“We have to find a way. We cannot let these people down. They are the most vulnerable. Closing is not an option we can afford to even contemplate.”

John Major, a permanent resident, said: “It’s desperately frightening.

“I don’t have any fall-back options. The chances of getting into somewhere as good as this are virtually zero.

“There us always a hope that the centre will be taken over. It’s a case of keeping our fingers crossed and hoping.”

A spokeswoman for the MS Society said: “Most people’s preferred setting for a short break is a holiday venue of their choice rather than a residential care home.

“The votes mirror those of the consultation that led to this decision and as such confirm that the society is heading in the right direction for people living with MS.

“We will continue to seek alternative providers for the four centres we run and will do everything in our power to ensure that people who currently use this service continue to get the support they need.”