ELDERLY users of a day centre have warned that cuts could lead them into a spiral of isolation and depression.

The users at the Kingsmoor Club, Hinton Waldrist, said that without free transport to the centre they would not be able to attend.

For many of them it is the only time they leave their house.

Oxfordshire County Council has proposed cutting the transport service to save £1.3m a year.

The centre is managed by Age UK Oxfordshire, which echoed the warning but said volunteers could help save the service.

The Oxford Times has teamed up with the charity to run the Give an Hour campaign.

Our aim is to get Oxfordshire’s residents to give 10,000 hours of their time to help the elderly. So far 2,464 hours have been pledged.

The Kingsmoor Club is one of 18 community clubs Age UK Oxfordshire manages across Oxfordshire.

It caters for up to 12 people three times a week and provides them with activities, days out and friendship.

One of the users, Rowena Cobb, 81, of Southmoor, said: “It’s so stimulating here — we do all sorts of things.”

But she said county council cuts to the transport service would mean she could not attend.

She cannot walk without a frame and cannot afford taxis.

She said: “I know that if they cut transport that will be the end of me. It’s so lonely at home — you sit on your own all day and the hours just seem to go on forever.”

Violet Jeffs, 87, of Southmoor, said: “When you lose your partner everything happens — the family comes and there are all sorts of things you have to deal with — and then when all that finishes you’re left alone.

“I’ve got nothing now. You even start talking to yourself.”

She said she could not afford to attend by taxi and could not walk without a frame, adding: “If it was cut I don’t know what I would sink into.”

Centre manager Gwyne Diment said about half her clients used the transport service.

She said: “Those are usually people who are wheelchair-bound or have difficulties walking.

“It’s going to mean that the most vulnerable and the most disabled are not going to be able to come.

“They don’t go anywhere else in their week. This is the main event in their week. It’s going to devastate individuals.”

Paul Cann, Age UK Oxfordshire’s chief executive, called for Oxfordshire residents to help the charity fill the void left by cuts.

He said: “It’s clear to us that we need to look to the community to do a lot more in providing transport, and it’s crucial that the community steps up to the mark.

“We would love to hear from people interested in helping us develop a new transport service which will step into the gap.”

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Age UK Oxfordshire on 01235 849407 or giveanhour @ageukoxfordshire.org.uk.

For information visit ageukoxfordshire.org.uk Oxfordshire residents can also donate to Age UK Oxfordshire by joining the Supporters’ Scheme and pledging £3 a month.

For more details on this, contact Stacey Bowden 01235 849404.