THE Day Care Centre for the elderly held at Alton Community Centre is desperately in need of more funding in the long term if it is to continue to meet the needs of the elderly in Alton.
At present, the Friday session is supported financially by ÔFriends of the ElderlyÕ, but the original funding for the Tuesday and Thursday sessions, which was for Ôstart-upÕ only, has now dried up.
The Alton Community Association is prepared to subsidise the day care in the short term, but cannot use its resources for more than a few months.
The elderly members are also putting in their own efforts by raising their daily subscriptions from £7 to £10, and while this includes lunch, it is still a large portion of the average weekly pension.
Alton Community Association chairman David Gay said: ÒThe ACA is most anxious that this valuable service should not be lost to the people of Alton and district. For many elderly citizens, this is their only outing of the week and the value they put on it can be seen by their voluntary commitment to keeping it going. The ACA is having a major fundraising campaign this winter to secure funding for the medium to long term.
ÒThe ACA has already applied to the local parish councils and many charitable organisations and continue to press Hampshire County, East Hampshire District and Alton Town Councils for assistance.
ÒAs there is currently no statutory funding for this kind of preventative care, the Day Care Centre has to rely on the goodwill of local people and organisations to enrich the lives of our elderly citizens so that they do not have to resort to residential care and lose their valued independence.Ó
Community centre manager Sheena Baker said: ÒWe have approached the big charities for help, but we are getting to the stage now where we are running out of options. We are looking for donations from local businesses, from individuals, basically the community at large.
ÒIt doesnÕt matter if the donations are large or small, we would welcome anything. The group costs around £12,000 per year to run, so we are looking for contributions towards this figure.
ÒThe Day Care Centre helps the community, and we think that the community values it, so this is why we are looking to the community to help us out.Ó
The ACA fund-raising committee is happy to supply further information or to arrange a visit to the Day Care Centre for any interested parties. Anyone interested in making a contribution can call Sheena Baker on 01420 85057.