Elderly residents 'shellshocked' as two Cornwall homes earmarked for closure
Watch Grace Pascoe's report
Two residential homes in Cornwall have been unexpectedly earmarked for closure, leaving residents devastated and worried for their future.
People living at Abbeyfield House in St Austell and Tresilian House in Falmouth have been told a consultation is underway to decide the future of the homes.
This is because of a rise in running costs and not being able to get the homes as energy efficient as the government's new legislation requires in the allotted timeframe.
Joyce Penfold, who is 104 and has lived at Tresilian House for ten years, said: "I felt terrible, it was one of the worst moments of my life, hearing that news.
"I lived in hope that I would be here until I passed away.
"Tresilian house is one of the happiest places I have ever been in."
Resident Dave Harper said: "I've just got my life sorted at long last and it's a real bombshell, it really is.
"When I came to Abbeyfield I was told my homeless days were over."
Val Allan, who only moved in three months ago, said: "We are all a bit shellshocked at the moment but we are not a bunch of old biddies that are going to take it lying down, we will fight every inch of the way.
"It's a happy house, or at least it was until yesterday morning. Where do you house twelve of us in anything like the situation we are in, there's a housing crisis in Cornwall as it is so I just don't see where we are going to go."
An Abbeyfield Society spokesperson said: “As a responsible housing and care provider, we conduct periodic reviews of all of our homes to make sure they remain suitable for residents.
"We recently completed the latest review of all of our homes as part of making a clear plan for the future of the organisation and each of our homes.
"These reviews considered how our properties can keep pace with the changing needs, tastes and expectations of older people, the investment required to bring them up to modern standards and whether they are able to meet new regulatory and energy efficiency requirements.
"We also needed to reflect how the past few difficult years have impacted the organisation’s finances, particularly the impact of the Covid pandemic, the huge increase in energy prices, rising inflation, and rapidly increasing operating costs.
“Having fully considered the findings of this review, it is with regret that we have made the difficult decision to begin consulting on the closure of Tresillian House (Falmouth).
"Everybody taking part in the consultation process will have the opportunity to share their thoughts, ideas and any proposals they may have before a final decision is made.
“We fully acknowledge the impact that this consultation, and any potential outcomes, will have on our residents and colleagues in particular, and we will be doing everything we can to support and assist them through this difficult process.”