DISTRAUGHT pensioners in Wyre Forest have been left stunned after Age UK announced it was axing a regular luncheon club in two weeks due to financial pressures.

Tulip Tree Centre in Castle Road, Kidderminster, has been hosting weekly Luncheon Club sessions for elderly residents for a number of years.

But bosses at Age UK Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest said the lunch club had been incurring losses for the last three years and this meant it was no longer sustainable to run them. It will close on February 16.

Other services at Tulip Tree would remain for now but all Age UK operations across North Worcestershire are currently under review.

Pensioners who attended the luncheon clubs on Tuesdays, Thursday and Fridays, pay £5 per meal and also paid a small yearly membership fee.

But Age UK said these subs only covered a proportion of the costs incurred to run the Luncheon Club.

Widower Doreen Hughes, aged 88, said: “Going to the Tulip Centre is the only time I get to leave the house these days because of my health.

“It is such a friendly and lovely place for old people and we all enjoy meeting up for lunch and then playing bingo as well as joining the Friendship Club on an afternoon.

“I couldn’t believe it. They told us on Tuesday (January 30) that it will close in just two weeks because of a lack of funds. None of us knew it was under threat.

“I am so shocked and upset. I’ve been going there for years and always look forward to it and seeing my friends. I don’t know what I’ll do without it.”

Age UK’s Wyre Forest, Bromsgrove and Redditch branches merged in 2016 and charity directors hoped the larger organisation would be in a better position to cope with financial challenges.

Alison Schofield, Chief Executive Officer for Age UK Bromsgrove, Redditch & Wyre Forest, said: “These are challenging times for the third sector which is facing increasing pressures to deliver more, whilst at the same time opportunities for grants and contract funding are reducing significantly.

“The funding landscape to support lunch clubs has been bleak for many years and the decision to stop subsidising the service has been a very difficult decision to make as we know how much the Luncheon Club means to people.

“Despite our current challenges, our commitment to supporting the needs of local older people remains unchanged.

“Members of my team are currently doing their utmost to support Tulip Tree Lunch Club Members with accessing alternative local lunches and activities, and with maintaining the important friendships and social contacts that they have made, in addition to ensuring that they have access to information on other support services that might be available to them.

“I remain hopeful that, through the steps that we are taking and with the continued support of the local community, we can we can transform the organisation and that we can continue to be recognised as the key charity dedicated to supporting local older people.”

She added Age UK were appealing for support from the community to enable them to continue their services for older people.

This includes visiting one of their charity shops – including three in Wyre Forest, the latest of which opened in Stourport in November last year – fundraising, sponsoring and volunteering.