LONG-TERM residents of a charity care home fear for their future after it was put up for sale.

The Grange in Poole has 25 permanent adult residents with a range of disabilities.

The home has been put on the market by charity Leonard Cheshire, which is also selling James Burns House in Bournemouth, as reported in the Daily Echo last week.

Resident Wendy Tiffin said: “I have been a resident at The Grange for over 10 years and I and many of the other residents are worried what the future holds.”

She said she fears the property could be sold for development and is worried that she could be moved back to Somerset where she came from.

“I am from Somerset and both my parents are now dead so there is nothing to go back to Somerset for. All my friends are now in Poole and I have made a new life in Poole. I am petrified what might happen in the next few years.

“Most of the people here have lived here for a long time and we have all been very worried since we were told it is being sold.”

The Grange and James Burns are two of 17 services run by Leonard Cheshire which have been put on the market as a going concern.

The Grange has 25 permanent residents and two rooms which are used for respite care. James Burns House, in Greenways Avenue, Bournemouth has 21 rooms.

A spokesman for the charity said the sale of the homes is unlikely to be complete before Spring next year. But he said the welfare of residents is the top priority as the charity tries to secure a new provider to run all of the 17 services.

“We know this is a difficult and worrying time for many, including the residents and their families, and we will be supporting them throughout this process,” he said.

He said the decision to sell the 17 homes was made as the charity aims to help more disabled people. He said charities are challenging themselves to make a bigger difference.

“We have had to make some difficult decisions about some of our services,” he said.

“A small minority of our properties are not in the right places with easy access to community amenities and with scope to grow. Other providers are better placed to make long-term investment in these services.”

He said Leonard Cheshire aims to use all money raised from the sale to invest in community, residential and outreach services to help disabled people to live as independently as possible.