THE parents of a profoundly disabled man who uses a day centre threatened with closure have vowed to fight the proposal.

The Worcester News revealed how Worcestershire County Council has put forward three options for the future of Pershore Care Centre in Station Road - for it to continue as it is, to expand, or to close.

John Bradley, the treasurer of the friends of the centre and father of 37-year-old Mark, who has used the service for 19 years, said it must not be allowed to close.

"It doesn't sound like it will remain the same, and it's doubtful it will expand so that only leaves one option," he said.

"But it is a godsend. Mark, who is severely mentally and physically handicapped, has been going there five days a week for 19 years and although he cannot speak, we can sense his moods.

"The staff have built up a rapport with him and other service users and can tell what their needs are. They keep them comfortable, happy and stimulated. For us as parents, it provides us with a bit of normality."

Jennie Bashforth, the county council's director of adult and community services who has put forward the proposals, said cost was one of the reasons changes must be made.

At £211,460 a year to run, it means each of the four places costs £52,910 each year, where the average cost of other learning disability day services within the county are £11,267 per place per year.

But Mr Bradley, who as a member of the friends group has helped raise more than £60,000 for the centre over the years, said the figures were distorted.

"They aren't comparing like for like," he said.

"For a start there is room for seven service users, so that figure should be split seven ways, not four.

"Secondly, the figures compare a centre for high dependency young adults with people whose disabilities are less profound and therefore require a much lower staff ratio.

"We will be fighting closure. It is senseless."

A county council spokesman said: "As we have seen with Stanley Road, in Worcester, and Franche Road, Kidderminster, adapting long-standing, well-established and much-valued centre-based services to conform with expected standards of care delivery in the 21st Century can often cause disruption that is very unsettling for those who need it least.

"We've already had discussions with users and families at Pershore Day Centre and we will continue to do so, firming this up as a matter of public record when the formal consultation takes place. Nothing is set in stone at this stage. Whatever happens, the cabinet has promised that the options on the table need to be developed fully before any decisions are made."