A DAY care centre, which has provided a lifeline for the elderly for more than 50 years, is set to shut at the end of the month due to a lack of funding.

The Todman Centre in Castle Road, Rayleigh, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in March, provides somewhere for elderly people to have a hot meal and a chat with other local residents.

Many of those who attend the centre regularly live alone and depend on it for contact with others.

Trustees have made the decision after struggling to make ends meet. Rochford District Council once provided the funds to keep the centre running, but a few years ago cut the funding and has now stopped it completely.

Debbie Wheeler, 45, has been a chef at the centre for nine years. She is only one of two paid members of staff at the centre.

She said: “I’m sad and upset but there’s not much we can do about it now. I’m sad about losing my job but it’s the elderly who use this place I feel the most for.

“I feel bad for them and they feel bad for me. We’re just gutted that it’s got to shut down. I’m really going to miss this place. There’s more money going out than coming in, and the trustees have decided it’s got to close.”

A regular who didn’t want to be named said: “We’re devastated. It’s a lifeline for the people who go there.

It’s somewhere for people to come and to get out the house for a meal and a chat. It helps break up their day.”

Two other regulars to the day centre, Joan Mackenzie, 88, and Joan Logan, 94, both from Rayleigh, are gutted to see it closing.

Mrs Logan said: “It’s terrible. Most of us are on our own so it’s nice to come here. Some people come here every day. It’s devastating.”

The centre also provides a venue for other groups such as a blind club and a “start of the week” gathering on a Monday.

Mrs Mackenzie added: “This is open for the community and really I think the council could have put their hands in their pockets and done something about it. There’s nowhere else to go in Rayleigh.”

The council’s Jo McPherson, whose portfolio includes the voluntary sector, said the days of councils being able to rush in and offer funding support are long gone but she added: “We need to understand exactly what the issues are for this group to see how best we can help them to decide their future.’’