Respite centre in Nottinghamshire to close for good

The owners of a Nottinghamshire centre which has offered respite care for more than 30 years said they had been left with no choice but to shut it for good.

Vitalise Skylarks in West Bridgford has organised breaks for disabled people and their carers since 1978.

But the centre hit financial problems earlier this year and closed temporarily in June for a review.

Colin Brook of Vitalise said the decision to close had been made with "extreme reluctance".

'Hard decision'

He said: "We came to a decision to basically take a good long look at the operation of the centre to find out if there was a resolution to the problem.

"Sadly, after a lot of deliberation and an awful lot of looking at the figures and various other factors, we came to the conclusion that really we couldn't assure the long-term viability of the centre."

Vitalise said all the guests who had been due to take breaks at Skylarks from 4 September were being informed of the situation and were either being helped to make alternative arrangements at the charity's other centres or offered a full refund.

A spokesperson added that Vitalise was looking at ways of helping everyone from the region affected by the closure.

The charity's chief executive Neil McConachie said: "This was one of the most difficult decisions Vitalise has ever had to make."