PLANS to relaunch a Penzance day care centre under the management of a new community group appear to have failed.

Supporters had asked the trustees to keep St Mary's Haven open while the possibility of setting up a new group to run it was explored.

That idea has now been formally rejected by the trustees through a letter to Irish businessman Bernard Condon, nephew of two of the founding sisters of the Haven.

The letter, from solicitors Stone King Sewell, confirms that plans are in place to turn the centre into a unit for the care of dementia patients.

It adds: "A business plan is currently being prepared by the trustees and will be reviewed with social services and the funding authorities."

The solicitor also points out that, even if the trustees had no plans for the centre, they would not be able to lease it to another organisation because "there is a provision in the trusts under which, if the trustees cannot use it, the building would revert to a separate charity".

But Mr Condon said the decision would only "exacerbate the deep feelings of revulsion felt for the trustees".

"They should go now and make way for those people of Penzance who will make a difference to the lives of the elderly," he said.

The public's show of support for the day centre shows no sign of letting up with more than 70 people attending a meeting at the Union Hotel last Friday.

Jayne Elliott, who chaired the meeting with Sue Moss and Lynda Wake, was amazed at the level of support. "We were expecting about a dozen people but it snowballed," she said.

Mrs Elliott said £2,000 was pledged in cash and people were queuing up for an hour after the meeting to volunteer to look after the elderly affected by the closure.

"All this is on top of the £20,000 already pledged and the people who came forward to help at a recent meeting at St Clare," she added.

"It shows that although this is not a wealthy area, there is a strong sense of community in Penzance and people do care."