Axminster Care Service has announced the closure of the Axminster Senior Citizens Centre in Church Street.

In a statement issued today, ACS said the decision had been made with great reluctance and the centre in the Old Police Station complex would close on November 30th.

The statement continued: "Long before the Covid-19 lockdowns the centre was being underused. The groups and clubs that frequented the premises during the 1980s and 90s have progressively waned over time."

Tuesday Lunch Club to continue

It was confirmed, however, that the Tuesday Lunch Club, which used to meet at the centre before lockdown, would continue to operate. During the coronavirus the meals have continued to be prepared and have been distributed to people's homes instead.

In the future, Mrs Paula Grant will carry on the running of the lunch club, with Axminster Care Service continuing to subsidise the cost of the meals. It is hoped that the club will in the future meet at the Guildhall, as soon as Covid-19 restrictions allow. In the meantime, Mrs Grant will continue to deliver the lunches.

Thinking 'outside the box'

In a report on other ACS matters, specifically the annual general meeting, the statement continued: "This year, 2020, has been the most unusual in all our 34 years as a charity. Having been faced with lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions we have all been forced to think more 'outside the box' in order to carry on and get things done as best we can.

"We have greatly missed holding our AGM in the Guildhall, complete with guest speaker and complimentary buffet, and have had to rethink this year's meeting.

"The ban on large gatherings has meant that our usual event has had to be put on hold for another year. There was, of course, the option of holding a Zoom meeting to address our annual business. However, not everyone has access to a computer, or perhaps has inadequate internet access to maintain signal throughout. And, of course, some people may not have a computer at all.

"Upon re-reading our constitutional papers we were able to conclude that a public AGM was not a specific requirement of the charity.

"This is something that the ACS committee had carried out through choice in the past. So, this year it was agreed that we would continue on with our AGM within the meeting of committee only. The AGM duly took place on Wednesday, 21st.

"Copies of the AGM Minutes are available from our office at 'Charity Togs' in South Street, Axminster. We do hope that things will improve for 2021 which will allow us to resume our public meeting."

Appeal for volunteers

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the care service has lost a number of valued volunteers over recent months. ACS is now looking to recruit new volunteers to support our transport service.

They are in need of volunteers to answer the telephone between 9.30am and 10.30am on rota, and to assist in allocating the journeys requested to drivers.

ACS is also looking for volunteer drivers to collect patients and deliver them to their hospital or doctor's appointments and return them home safely. All car drivers are reimbursed for their mileage.