More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A meeting place for people with physical and learning disabilities in Maidstone will close down due to a lack of demand.
The Maidstone Resource Centre, in Tovil Green Lane, will shut its doors on Monday, February 17.
The company that run the site, Leonard Cheshire Disabilities, is in talks with local authorities to find a new space for the group.
Visitors and their families have been informed of the closure and advised as to other places they can go to get the service.
The centre helps keep people with disabilities healthy and teaches them how to become more independent.
It gives them the opportunity to learn new skills and hosts a variety of activities and relaxation classes.
The staff also often run day trips to bowling and the cinema.
It currently sees on average 30 people a week.
A representative from Leonard Cheshire Disability was unable to provide figures for how many people attended when it opened.
The company has other centres in Kent, including Seven Springs, on Pembury Road, Tunbridge Wells, and Chipstead Lake, on Chevening Road, Sevenoaks.
A visitor to the facility said: "We are like a family and don't want our centre to close as this is a place where we have a great time and have made a lot of friends."
A spokesman for Leonard Cheshire said: "We appreciate that the decision will be unsettling for service users and staff.
"Our priority in the coming weeks will be to work with Kent County Council and our staff in order to maintain continuity of service delivery and employment.”
This isn't the first time it has been threatened with closure.
In 2015, when it was housed at the Royal British Legion Village’s Churchill Centre in Aylesford, Leonard Cheshire Disability said it couldn't afford the rent for the building.
After putting out a plea to find a new venue, the centre found its new home in Tovil.
