Outcry in Ramsey over residential care home closure announcement

Cummal Mooar was first opened in 1981

A petition objecting to the closure of a residential care home in the north of the Isle of Man has attracted more than 700 signatures.

Manx care said plans for an alternative to Ramsey's Cummal Mooar, due to be built at the Cooil Ny Marrey site on Waterloo Road, had been dropped.

Petitioner Vicki Hewison, whose mother is one of the home's 34 residents, has called for the decision to be reversed.

She said staying in the town she was born was "key" to the 87-year-old.

Ms Hewison said her mum had suffered a stroke and had onset dementia, so it was important for her to remain in familiar surroundings where she was happy and the "team there are like a family".

"People that have spent their whole life there [in Ramsey] should not be uprooted," she said.

She said there was "no doubt the building is old" but called for small renovations to be made to keep it up and running until an appropriate local alternative was in place.

Vicki Hewison has started a petition to keep Cummal Mooar open

Manx Care said it still aimed to build a replacement of some sort, but it would not be operational when Cummal Mooar closed in the next two years.

It added there would be a shift to a "home first approach" moving forward.

The Cooil Ny Marrey site was due to be re-built to replace Cummal Mooar

Ramsey commissioner Juan McGuinness said he was "massively disappointed" in the decision, which would have "huge ramifications" for the area.

He said it would have a "knock-on impact" on social and sheltered housing, with fewer homes becoming available for those in need as people stay in them longer.

Cummal Mooar was more than just a residential home where people lived, it was a day centre and a respite area, he said.

He called on the government to "commit to maintain what they've already proposed, which is a replacement facility".

Manx Care has declined to comment further at this stage.