Fight to save The  
Close from closing   A

BRIDGE villagers
are battling to save
their old people’s
home The Close from
lclosug-  ‘

A ,1“ 15 action was
dram. F  . a ublic meet-
ing at '.;;c age hall on
Monday, called by Mr John
Purchese, who spear-
headed the A2 Group's by-
pass campaign.

A committee was set up

to lead the fight against

closure and action will
include a petition, car
stickers and meetings. Vil-
lagers will lobby county

councillors at a meeting at.

] Maidstone in January,
' when a decision about The
_Close’s future will «be
made. *

.Mr Purchese told vil-
lagers the County Council
decided a year ago to shut
The Close because of
finance cuts.

Following protests from
the Parish Council, the
county in April said
residents could sta until a
newb:-vnewasb tinthe
vil'» ‘tut in November
':1:~.,.- earned of plans
‘  ‘wsidents to a new
‘hoi._:  Military Road,
Canterbury, and to shut
fime Close next year.
‘ ‘”It looks as if we will
have to fight to retain The
Close in the area it
serves,” said Mr Pur-
chese. ‘_‘People who work
at the home live locally
and there are strong con-
nections with the vill-
ages.” .
, "Mr Purchese said it was
giioposed that 40 of The
ose’s 64 residents should
be moved to Military
Road: “What will hap n

.to the other'24?_ Will ey'

i~go to St Augustine's or Nim-

-stan

The Close, Bridge. Villagers are determined to save

  

it from closing.

nery Fields? Both are a
long way from ipeople who
may want to vis t them."

He continued: “If they
do move our residents they
will only have to niove
them back when our new

home is read in a few

years. It is my elief that if‘

we let these people go to
Canterbury we will never
get them back.

“It would be a disaster
and a negation of our duty
to the old people if we let
them be sent three miles
away." '

NEXT YEAR

Cllr Laurence Shirley,
who represents Bridge on
the County Council, said
the idea to shut The Close
rather than spend money
on repairs came after_ the
City Council’s Environ-
mental Health Department
had inspected the buildin
and reported on wor
needed to keep it open.

Since then, over~£9,000
had been s nts, It. had
brou§il_ilt,the ome

? to a.
d accepted y, the

City Council forithe time
beiiag but more _,work was
nee ed

On Monday, Mr David
Crouch, Canterbury’s MP,
will visit The Close and
meet -committee members
and villagers. ,~

Elected to the committee
were: ‘Mr Purchese, of Mill
Cotta e, Bekesbo e; Mr
Davi Mallinder, 20 Union
Road, Bridge: the Vicar,
the Rev Raymond Gilbert,
The Vicarage, Hi h Street,-
Bridge; Mrs Joy onk, 1'1
Union Road, Bridge; and
Mr George Pratt, 13 Green
Court, Bridge.

A County Council spoke-
man said The Close would-
definitely shut next year
when the new home in Mill-
tary. Road was ready.
Forty residents would be
moved-gin’ Canterbury and
the remainin 24 would be
foundrplaces e sewhere.

He add_e’d‘that the coun-
cil's Social Services Com—
mittee had decided to build

a re 1acer”nent‘h,or‘ne for 40 -

resi ents at Bifrons Parl-5»
start

Bl‘id8e- Work should  1:.
. next year with an ‘o i
‘in the summer on