A BID to save the services at Wardhayes Care Home and the Poppy Day Centre has this week been launched by organisations in Okehampton — and those behind the move are asking for help from the community. Last month Devon County Council announced it would formally cease the provision of residential care in the home and its 19 other homes, instead arranging and commissioning alternative services for residents in the private sector. The home's Poppy Day Centre will also close. The decision has been made in an effort to shave £10-million a year off social care spending. The Okehampton and area branch of Devon Senior Voice and West Devon CVS are investigating ways to try and keep the home open, by setting up a co-operative or mutual organisation to fund the home's services. At the June meeting of the Okehampton and Area Senior Voice, there was a unanimous decision to support any proposals to retain Wardhayes and the Poppy Day Centre, and to support Puzzle Tree and Lyric House, which will be merged under the county council proposals. West Devon CVS held a meeting of its own with representatives from voluntary organisations in Okehampton to formulate a plan to keep the home open. The conclusion was that none of the services should be lost. Registered with the CQC for Frail Elderly services with dementia care and residential rehabilitation services, Wardhayes also offers respite care. The residential rehabilitation serves residents following traumas or a hospital stay. Ken Crawford, mental health lead for Devon Senior Voice, said that it would not be easy to replace the loss of a secure dementia and re-ablement unit, both of which he feels are in short supply in the Okehampton area. He sympathised with Devon County Council, saying they were 'between a rock and a hard place', having to make so many budget cuts. Mr Crawford said: 'If we can keep Wardhayes in Okehampton, it would be crucial. 'Statistics suggest that by the 2020s, the number of over 85s in Okehampton will have increased by 89percent. 'This means that for every over 85-year-old there is now, there will effectively be two. 'When you consider that one in five people aged over 85 has some form of dementia, the future demand is clear. 'Kent House in Okehampton supports people with dementia. The implication from statistics though, is that places like Kent House won't be able to cope. 'If a co-operative or mutual could be set up to run the home, it could be a stable way of doing it. 'Effectively, anyone can invest or be a member. People of the town can invest, and there could be different classes of membership, for staff, residents and family members, and others. 'A number of previously council-run care homes across the the country have gone down that route and succeeded. 'Community support in this venture is essential if it is to get off the ground. 'Devon County Council received a petition with over 3,500 signatures to keep Wardhayes open. 'If each one of those people would support Wardhayes as a member, it would build up an income. 'There are other things that could be done — not being affiliated with the council opens up a raft of improvement grants not available for things like solar panels, and changing the heating systems to provide a bit more income. 'All the facilities are there for things like lunch clubs. It would require imagination but it is worth looking at. 'If we don't make an effort as a community, we will lose it. 'It is better to try and fail than give up. It would mean an awful lot to Okehampton and the wider area if Wardhayes could be saved.' An 'expression of interest' in Wardhayes has been lodged with the county council by those community groups, which means the organisations can now have access to more detailed information and try to put forward a case for Wardhayes to remain in the community. Mr Crawford said Devon County Council was 'bending over backwards' to provide the running cost figures and other information that would help with the establishment of a co-operative trust. Cllr Kevin Ball, county councillor for Okehampton Rural, said: 'Throughout the consultation, Devon County Council has been open to suggestions from the community. 'I would encourage those looking at this to investigate it fully. As with everything, community development is important. 'If anyone involved wishes to use me as a point of reference and discuss it with me, I would be more than happy to do so.' The next meeting of the Okehampton branch of Devon Senior Voice will invite members of the public and representatives of voluntary organisations to come together and try and develop a case for Wardhayes remaining open in a new guise. It takes place in the Glen Community Lounge on Castle Road at 10.30am on Tuesday, July 8.