ELDERLY people fear they will be 'cast aside' after a day centre closes and is replaced by a new service.

The health and wellbeing centre at The Elms day centre in Witney will close at the end of September and those who use it will be offered the chance to keep using a new service run by Oxfordshire County Council from the site, or from the voluntary sector.

But a volunteer at The Elms said users have been left in the dark over what services they will be able to receive after the current provision closes, and whether they will have to pay.

Sandra Maughan, who regularly offers her time at the The Elms – which is based at Witney Resource Centre – said: "At the minute, I've got people sitting there and talking to me and asking if they'll ever see me again and I don't know what to tell them, which is really hard.

"It feels like the end of an era and I just don't know what to expect with all these changes and what to tell the people who are coming in.

"It's all just so uncertain for us all."

Ms Maughan said she still did not know what she – and other volunteers – would be able to offer elderly residents who use the service for a variety of purposes, including bathing, hairdressing, lunches and wellbeing services.

The Bampton resident said she understood she would still be able to provide hot meals and sandwiches but that charges were to be introduced for using the services, which could 'push people away'.

She said: "I understand there will be charges involved in using the day centre and this means that people are going to stop being able to attend because they simply can't afford it.

"This means they will stop getting the support they need."

Witney town councillor, and former mayor, Chris Holliday also said he had not heard any details about the upcoming changes at The Elms, which is used by dozens of people each week.

He said: "I'm in the dark – I have heard nothing about it at all and do not know what the changes will mean."

The Elms, which is currently run by external provider Leonard Cheshire, but funded by the county council, is a health and wellbeing centre and is used by dozens of people each week.

But as part of a bid to make £3.14m of savings the county council is replacing its health and wellbeing centres and learning disability daytime support services –which operated from 22 bases – with a countywide 'community support service'.

The service will operate from eight centres across the county – including Witney Resource Centre – with people given the option to purchase services using their 'personal budget' (money from the local authority) or from their own income or savings.

The Elms is currently run by external provider Leonard Cheshire, but funded by the council.

County council spokesman, Paul Smith, said the authority would be working with each person using the services to support them through the change, through a network provided by charity Age UK.

He said: "The health and wellbeing centre will close, and some people will access support from the new service, whilst others will move to receive support from the voluntary sector.

"Most day services are provided by such voluntary sector community groups – three-quarters of these receive no council funding and have continued to flourish regardless."

Leonard Cheshire did not respond to a request for comment.