A UNIQUE centre for elderly and vulnerable people whose mission is to relieve loneliness and isolation has closed its meals on wheels service as it battles to survive.

Trustees of the Dales Care day centre in Bedale say there is no doubt the centre will carry on although they are still facing major financial problems in meeting running costs.

The charity has been going for more than 25 years offering day care to help elderly and vulnerable residents retain their independence and dignity. Originally the centre also catered for people with alzheimers but that service ended when funding was withdrawn three years ago.

Last week the centre was closed and the meals on wheels service which offered hot meals for dozens of people in the town and outlying villages was ended. The centre reopened on Monday but the meals service is not carrying on.

One elderly resident who asked not to be named said: "It just stopped, for some people they had no idea and cover had to be brought in at very short notice, surely they could have given more warning. They are dealing with some very elderly and vulnerable people.”

Trustee Anne Gregg said a member of staff was sick and they were already looking for another member of staff and had been unable to appoint.

“From the point of view of safety and duty of care that was one of the decisions in closing the centre. We could not sustain it being open last week because we would have been short of staff. It was not an ideal situation and it was very very difficult.”

She said closing the meals on wheels service had also been a difficult decision but it was no longer sustainable because of the dwindling numbers of customers.

“The numbers were such that it was not cost effective to carry on, it was costing the charity money and at the end of the day Dales Care is a charity, we don’t get any government funding at all, we have to raise the funds ourselves.

“We try to make it break even but it is extremely difficult to do so particularly in the present economic climate and with everything we have been through in the past three to four years we lost our funding from social services and that was a big hole to fill.

“In the last six months the meals on wheels service was costing us money and it was jeopardising the centre and at the end of the day that is what Dales Care is about, keeping the centre going. You sometimes have to make some very hard decisions.”

Mrs Gregg said one of the major problems for charities was getting funds for running costs, while grants would often be available for specific items they were not offered to pay staff, and look after buildings.

She said Dales Care is open five days a week from Monday to Friday offering morning coffee, hot lunches, afternoon activities and companionship.