PLACARD-waving protesters greeted officials going into a meeting in Blandford to discuss proposed cuts to a day care centre.

Wendy Webb and other relatives of the centre's users stressed the point on Thursday that the Blandford day centre should not be targeted as part of cutbacks to save around £600,000.

Dorset County Council wants to close five day care centres offering services for older people including Rawson Court in Gillingham, and to close the centre in Swanage and merge it with Wareham.

The council also wants to transfer Blandford day services for people with learning disabilities to Sturminster Newton and Verwood, and as part of the cuts, 46 jobs at day centres are under threat.

Council officials are meeting with centre users, carers and staff to talk through the proposed cuts, which will go before councillors for decision in early 2008.

They have stressed that everyone who requires day care will continue to receive it and transport needs will also be taken into account.

Wendy was campaigning for no cuts at Blandford on behalf of her brother Paul Farrell, 47, who has Downs Syndrome and severe learning disabilities.

He has gone to the centre since August 2004 and lives at the residential home The Beeches next door to the day care centre.

Wendy, 58, said: "We are really going to fight this. These are the most vulnerable people in the community."

She said Paul was able to walk to the day centre. If the centre were shut, he would have to sit in a wheelchair and be transported by bus to another centre in Sturminster Newton.

Wendy said it seemed deeply unfair the cuts were needed when the council had spent £16million on a new IT system.

She added: "Mum died two years ago but she did see Paul settled in at The Beeches. It's important to me to know that Paul is happy. What I'm really unhappy about is this could have such an awful life-changing affect on him and how he would cope with it."