THERE were many complex reasons behind the decision to close Holehird, according to Bryan Dutton, the director general of Leonard Cheshire.

The charity would not be walking away from providing services for the residents, but a combination of factors meant that Holehird was not a suitable building to continue the work for the next 50 years.

He stressed that the service the charity provided to disabled people was much more than just a building and, referring to the outlook over the lake, he said that there was more to life than just a view.

Mr Dutton revealed that the charity was losing £15,000 a month at Holehird, primarily because a shortage of permanent local staff forced Leonard Cheshire to use agency workers, who were much more costly. Using agency staff also meant that it was difficult to provide the continuity that the charity preferred.

Although he was unable to give details, Mr Dutton said the charity’s research showed that recruitment would not be as difficult in the Lancaster or Morecambe Bay area where it was hoped the new home would be built.

The problems were not only about capital, he said. The building did not lend itself to the new Care Standards Act, but the Act had only precipitated the charity’s own thinking and the need to ensure its homes would be suitable for the future. The CSA was not just about en suite bathrooms, but covered things like the size of rooms, and stated that accommodation should be split into groups of ten. They were difficult to achieve in a listed building like Holehird.

Mr Dutton said the building was in the wrong place and young people were put off by the distance to the pub or shops.

The things that the residents appreciated, such as being part of a community and having the freedom to go to bed when they preferred, could be recreated somewhere else. Leonard Cheshire had done it in other parts of the country and residents had gone on to prefer their new homes, he said.

He understood how the residents, the community, the volunteers and the staff felt. Leonard Cheshire himself, when faced with similar problems, had been forced to move people to new homes, Mr Dutton added.

He promised each resident would have the chance to talk about his or her future needs and the options, and he denied residents and staff had been told Holehird would not shut.

“I think they were told that over the period of time there would have to be reprovision right across the country and they would be consulted when the time came. I’m afraid the time has come.

“We are concerned about providing a service that will last for the next 50 years and Holehird won’t do that.

“I hope that they (the residents) can work with us and trust us over the next three years and I hope all the people in Windermere and the surrounding area can also understand the difficult situation we are in and move from an attitude of antagonism to one of understanding and support.

“We need their support to make this new building as successful as Holehird has been.” l The charity was due to have the opportunity to discuss the Care Standards Act at a meeting with health ministers yesterday (Thursday). Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins, who raised the issue in a Parliamentary question, said he was pleased with the news.