Broken lift stops Bognor's elderly from using day centre

The equipment at the Laburnum Centre has been out of action, according to one of its members, for nine weeks. Its repair is scheduled for June 8.

Marian Fosker, who joined the centre soon after it opened 20 years ago, said: "People can't come to the centre because they can't get up

the stairs.

"This situation has stopped a lot of people enjoying the building.

The numbers have dropped off because of that.

"People are very cross about the situation, but they can't do

anything about it."

The lift between the two floors of the centre, in Lyon Street, was

fitted when the building was opened in 1989.

The problem has been caused by the lift's control panel breaking down beyond repair.

This has left some of the centre's 1,000 or so members aged over 50 unable to get to the first floor. Activities such as arts and craft are out of their reach.

North Bersted resident Mrs Fosker, 82, said: "I am in the centre's choir and it takes me a while, and a bit of trouble, but I can still get up the stairs to the practise sessions.

"I am lucky in being able to do that. A lot of people who walk with sticks can't do it and they are not using the centre."

The centre is run by Age Concern West Sussex in partnership with

the building's owner, Arun District Council.

Tracy Taylor-Beck, Age Concern West Sussex's head of day services, said: "The lift is so old we had to order a new control panel to be made because they are not available any more.

"We have tried to do what we can to help people up and down the stairs.

"The staff have been very helpful.

"But we do realise there is dissatisfaction among the centre's members about the situation."

She said the efforts of the charity and the council to get a new control panel installed more quickly had failed to pay off.

The lift had worked intermittently in the past two months, but

it had been decided to shut it entirely to avoid the possibility of people being trapped inside.

The option had existed of putting in a temporary stairlift, but this would have been put in only a week or so ahead of the lift's scheduled repair to offer a limited benefit, she added.

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