LETTER: Marsden Centre is a real gem

Established in the 1970s, it has been serving well people with physical disabilities, whether inherited at birth or through a road traffic accident or a new health condition developed such as Parkinson’s or MS.

This fine establishment allows people to access services to enable them to regain their life skills. The well-trained staff provide a very professional and caring role that cannot be praised enough. Those that have and are accessing the service are also giving their families a break from the caring role.

By having this much-needed day care service, the individual is also enabled to be free from social isolation, which if not addressed could cause untold health and well being problems for anyone affected in such a way.

People may be of the opinion that day centres are places of little individual benefit other than a place where you could have a healthy meal and a day out from your weekly routine, and may even believe they are not financially viable.

I hope I have corrected any unfounded and baseless perceptions and if not, maybe given the people of Pendle an insight into the good value of the Marsden Centre.

But I do worry, based on the current climate and changes in the way the authorities are now reviewing services, whether this service has been stripped of its assets to make it non-viable, the asset in this case being the people using the service or, in this case, the very few that can’t be touched.

I wonder whether Pendle’s MP, Andrew Stephenson, could look into this matter and give his support on the future of the Marsden Centre.

COUN. SAJID ALI

Scotland Road, Nelson