TWO PETITIONS, calling on Pembrokeshire County Council to keep day care centres in the county open have been launched, with the creator of one calling on all affected to unite together.

Earlier this year, senior councillors backed plans to close two of the county’s centres for older adults and those with learning disabilities, Portfield SAC, Haverfordwest, and Avenue SAC, Tenby; service users moving to other centres in the county.

The county council is currently changing care provision for older adults and those with learning disabilities, and fears have been raised recently that Pembroke Dock’s Anchorage day care centre is to close.

A series of engagement events have taken place at The Anchorage recently, outlining the reasons and the options in continued service.

One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “One young woman who attends ran out of the first meeting sobbing when she was told it was going to close.

“Another, at the second meeting, tried to address the meeting, but was so choked up at the thought of not seeing her friends any more she could hardly speak.”

It now is feared Narberth’s Lee Davies Day Care Centre and Crymych’s Bro Preseli Day Centre could also close, with concerns it is due solely to budgetary reasons.

An e-petition on the council’s own website, by John Llewellyn of Living Memory Group, entitled against the closure of the Lee Davies and Bro Preseli day care centres, has attracted some 254 signatures to date.

It states: “We call on Pembrokeshire County Council to Review the closure of the Lee Davies Day Care Centre at Bloomfield’s and the Bro Preseli Day Centre at Crymych.

“Staff at both day care centres were informed in mid-March that both facilities would be closing due to PCC budget cuts. Both centres are an essential outlet for the wellbeing of the attendees and their families.”

A Change.org petition, called Save the Lee Davies Day Centre Narberth, has also been started by Kate Schofield, the twin sister of one of the centre users, which has attracted 186 signatures.

She says her sister has already seen “her beloved Avenue Centre close,” and could “lose her old and new friends at the Lee Davies Centre”.

That petition reads: “Pembrokeshire County Council are currently reviewing the day centre provision in Pembrokeshire.  They have posted some petitions where you can merely sign your name, but this is not proper consultation, and in reality decisions about services provided for older people and vulnerable adults many with complex learning disabilities are being made by councillors who are driven purely by budget savings.

“If we lose the Lee Davies Centre there will be little or no provision in south Pembrokeshire, The Avenue in Tenby has closed, The Anchorage will close very shortly and in Haverfordwest, Portfield has also been closed.

“Please sign, comment and share let’s show PCC that we care even if they clearly don’t.  We have until early June to make our feelings known, so please sign today.”

Kate added: “My sister has Down’s Syndrome and because of our age has always only had the option of day care services.

“Over the last few years she has, like the rest of us, come through Covid. The day, whilst out for a walk, she started laughing while hugging a tree because she couldn’t hug me will stay with me forever.

“She’s seen her beloved Avenue Centre close and now will possibly lose her old and new friends at the Lee Davies Centre, this is one of the many reasons I have raised this petition.”

Kate, who said she was moved to tears by the plight of Anchorage centre users, finished by saying: “I don’t believe PCC, and indeed the Cabinet Member for Social Care & Safeguarding, have any regard for older people with learning disabilities, profoundly disabled adults and indeed older people in general.

“They talk about stress and mental health but have no regard to what they are doing to carers and attendees across these centres.”

She finished: “We need to all join forces, Lee Davies, Bro Preseli and The Anchorage to fight PCC.”

Kate may be contacted on 01646 651049.

A spokesman for Pembrokeshire County Council said: “Pembrokeshire County Council is working with trustees at both Lee Davies and Bro Preseli in order to maintain current service provision wherever possible.

“The services remain committed to develop a hybrid social enterprise model during 2024/25.”

Anchorage plea: A plea by a concerned parent to keep the “safe and happy place” Anchorage centre open – which had also attracted a council e-petition – was recently heard at a full council meeting.

Responding at that meeting, Cabinet Member for Social Care & Safeguarding Cllr Tessa Hodgson said: “All service users of the Anchorage will be offered alternative day centre arrangements in order to preserve their independence and also to support the caring needs of their families, these assessments are still taking place and are likely to continue to do so at least until the end of May.”

The anchorage petition, which closed today, May 24, attracted 402 signatures.