The White Horse Day Centre for the elderly in Westbury is reassuring its members that it will look for alternative means of funding, if Wiltshire Council confirm cuts to luncheon club funding by 2024.
The White Horse Day Centre for the elderly in Westbury is under threat after Wiltshire Council changed the way it is funding clubs for elderly and disabled people.
The council is planning to remove £106,000 of grant funding from a range of lunch and friendship clubs across the county, cutting their grants by half in the 2022-23 financial year, with plans to remove them entirely in 2023-24.
The leader of council Richard Clewer said on Tuesday’s full council budget meeting that it was not a cut in funding, but a way of finding a more “equitable” system. But White Horse Day Centre say the current funding they receive is vital to the running the club.
Prior to the council meeting, Sue Ezra, one of the organisers of the day centre in Grassacres Hall said, “Without the grant we wouldn’t be able to run. We are required by Wiltshire Council to have at least two paid staff members -a cook and a coordinator. Don’t cut off the elderly as if they mean nothing!
“Wiltshire Council have basically told us they’ve not got enough money. They’ve said for us to look at grants, but some grants we can’t apply for as it has to go towards a project and we unfortunately don’t fit into those criteria. Many grants that you can get are also not aimed at the elderly.
“We’ve been asked to look at other avenues of funding such as the Westbury Area Board (part of Wiltshire Council), but that would require us to go to them each quarter and ask for money -you can’t run a day centre like that. We need to know what amount we have at the beginning of the year so we can plan financially for the rest of the year. We don’t make any profit, all the money made goes back into the club.”
However, despite the news, organisers of the day centre are reassuring members that they are doing their utmost to secure other methods of funding to keep it running.
“It really is a lifeline. We are struggling for members now, but this is because many of the elderly are concerned about Covid and are frightened to come out, but we have all the right protocols there to ensure everyone’s safety. The hall is sanitised every time it is used, we’ve got hand sanitisers and make sure everyone is well before they turn up –there’s little if any risk.”
Sue will attend a meeting to discuss future funding opportunities for the White Horse Day Centre with Wiltshire Council in March. Sue explained what the day centre offers each week, saying, “If you become a member (which is free) you would usually arrive at 10am every Thursday and be greeted with a cup of tea/coffee and a biscuit. This is usually followed by a three-course lunch, and in the afternoon, we like to play indoor sports and do things like quizzes and bingo with the aim to finish for 3pm. We provide all this for £9 and for the elderly that don’t have a lot of money it isn’t expensive –where can you get a three-course home cooked meal and all the rest for just £9?”
Westbury’s White Horse Day Centre always welcomes new members and it is free to join –all they require is that you are aged 60 or over. The centre is also hosting a special meal for the Queen’s Jubilee on Thursday 2nd June. If you’d like to get involved or want to find out more information, please call Sue Ezra on 07816 991 960.
