Decision to close residential home 'devastating'

Daryn Robinson has lived at the Percy Hedley Foundation home for more than 30 years

A charity has been accused of "destroying people's lives" after announcing plans to close a residential home for people with disabilities.

The Percy Hedley Foundation said Chipchase House in Forest Hall, Newcastle, would close next year because the age and size of the building meant it was no longer suitable.

But the decision has been met with fierce criticism. A resident, who has lived at the site for more than 30 years, called the news was "devastating".

The charity said it was supporting residents to find suitable alternative accommodation and working to minimise "disruption and inconvenience".

Daryn Robinson, 59, who is quadriplegic and has lived at Chipchase since 1993, said he was heartbroken by the news.

"It's a community, all my friends are there," he said, adding there were "loads of activities" for residents to engage with.

He said the home's closure would mean "destroying people's lives".

'They are a family'

Judy Lillico, whose 45-year-old son David has lived at the home for eight years, said the news of its closure left her "angry" and "fearful for his future".

She added: "With his very complex needs it isn't just a case of moving him somewhere else and everything will be fine - it won't be."

Maureen Dove, whose 78-year-old sister Margaret has been a Chipchase resident for more than three decades, said the charity should remember its "original mission".

Ms Dove said: "They should be thinking of their welfare, trying to keep them together. They are a family."

Denise Howe (right) said many families were worried about what would happen to the residents

Denise Howe, Mr Robinson's sister and chair of the Family Forum at Chipchase, said residents and their relatives felt abandoned.

She said many of the residents were ageing and their families were "even older and very worried about what will happen to them".

In a statement, Percy Hedley Foundation’s Board of Trustees said it had made the decision to close the home by July 2025 after a "thorough review" of its residential service.

It added: "Unfortunately, the size of the home, its age, and future ability to meet regulatory requirements and best practice mean it is no longer a suitable home from which to provide residential care services."