CHANGES to a Westhoughton care home could leave a charity for elderly people without a meeting place.

Westhoughton Age Support Project (WASP) fears it will have nowhere to meet if Bolton Council’s plans to scrap evening care at the Winifred Kettle Community Care Centre in Wigan Road are given the go-ahead.

The proposals will mean Winifred Kettle will no longer provide intermediate and respite care for people leaving hospital, becoming a day-care only facility.

WASP holds a bingo evening at Winifred Kettle every Thursday and says it has received no assurances from the council that this arrangement will continue after the changes are implemented.

Bolton Council said a decision will be made after the consultation ends on February 3.

It added that a cornerstone of the plans for Winifred Kettle is “enhanced” community usage.

WASP has used the facility every week for several years and also stage one-off functions there.

Len Maycroft, vice-chairman of WASP, said: “This change affects us greatly and we have had no reassurances yet from the council over what will happen, only that an announcement is due in February. We have 40-odd members and this is a good night for us, a real fundraiser and social.

“Ours is the largest group that uses it, although some other smaller groups use it.”

Mr Maycroft added that WASP makes a £500 donation to the care home each year to help them pay for the upkeep.

“We are now looking for somewhere else but it’s hard to say for certain where we will end up,” he said.

“It is sad that this care facility is being lost any way as it is well-regarded in Westhoughton and has been for years.

“It is a well-run centre with an excellent reputation.”

WASP’s meetings run from 6pm until 9pm. But if the revamped Winifred Kettle employs no evening staff, with day care staff currently finishing at 5pm, they would not be able to continue.

A council spokesman said: “The proposals include plans for day care and community services at Winifred Kettle to continue and be enhanced, with the aim to develop the building into an older people’s wellbeing centre.

“We are currently carrying out a consultation with staff and service users and their families and would be happy to include any comments by local residents, who can email their views to consultation@bolton.gov.uk by the end of January.

“Following the period of consultation, a further report finalising the proposals will be determined in February, with the intention of implementing the improvements from April.”