PATIENTS were left in tears after being told by heartbroken volunteers that their service will abruptly end after more than 60 years.

The Mobility Aid Unit in Gorse Lane, Clacton, which is run by British Red Cross volunteers, has long provided vital equipment, including wheelchairs, commodes, sticks and crutches, to patients across Tendring.

But the service will end on September 28 when the unit closes its doors for good after 66 years.

The small team of volunteers were left devastated by the decision, which came without warning.

Volunteer Pamela Wood said: “There is quite an elderly population in Tendring and in particular a lot of people who need all sorts of aids to help them cope and recover.

“When people come out of hospital, the hospital doesn’t always provide what they need in terms of mobility issues and they will often refer people to us.

“Now people in Tendring won’t be able to come here, they will have to go to Colchester, which is a difficult journey for many.

“We have had people in here crying, at a loss for what they will do.

“There was no consultation with us, the volunteers, beforehand.”

Pamela, who has volunteered for the unit for ten years, said there were, at a minimum, 20 people using the service every week.

The British Red Cross moved the unit from Clacton town centre to the industrial estate last year.

Pamela says this move made the unit difficult to access, especially for disabled people, and the closure was the next step in shutting the service down.

“It is very harsh and sudden,” she said.

“We feel that our work here has been undervalued.

“We are all very sad that after many years of service we have been told we are no longer required.

“We feel we are letting the community down, but the decision to close was taken entirely out of our hands.”

Michael Lascelles, British Red Cross mobility aids hub manager, said a review of the unit found it was no longer cost-effective.

“We aim to help as many people in crisis as we can,” he said.

“To do this well we need to ensure we make best use of donors’ support and use our resources wisely.

“However, this doesn’t mean we are discontinuing the mobility aids service in the area.

“People can still borrow mobility aids from other Red Cross premises nearby, including Abbots Community Hall in Colchester, and we provide a home delivery service for users who are unable to collect equipment from our centres.

“We are also exploring other options, such as providing a pop-up service, which has proved effective in other areas.”

He added: “We have held a briefing with our volunteers to explain the situation and answer any questions they might have, and in the coming weeks we will be individually contacting our service users to communicate this change as sensitively as possible.

“The decision to close this centre does not reflect on the dedication and commitment of our amazing volunteers, without whom we could not provide support services for people in crisis.”