A DAY centre in Blandford that was threatened with closure could now be saved after users’ passionate pleas.
The Blandford Connect Day Centre on Heddington Drive was one of six day centres in the county that was planned to close as Dorset Council looked to replace these with a ‘hub and spokes’ model.
Under the plans, centres in Sherborne, Shaftesbury and Blandford would have closed, with Stour Connect in Sturminster Newton becoming the hub for north Dorset.
The plans received intense backlash from users and their friends and families who said the day centre is vital to users wellbeing, with many unable or not likely to travel to Sturminster Newton – a roughly nine-mile trip from Blandford.
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Now, Dorset Council has said they have responded to feedback, and “crucially” they said they’ve heard more from people in their own words about how they use the centre.
A spokesperson for the council said: “We are working on new proposals, with other services potentially joining day centre use at Blandford Centre.
“We will be able to say more when we have the details more firmed up, but we are confident from our early discussions that there are options that we can make work.”
Dorset Council did not respond to questions about the other day centres affected by proposals in the county.
MP Simon Hoare (Conservatives/North Dorset) previously described the plans to close the day centres as “fundamentally wrong”.
2,700 people signed a petition to prevent the closure of the day centres in north Dorset.
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