THE Old School day centre in Market Lavington may be forced to close, leaving more than 20 elderly people without their weekly social contact.

Organiser Maureen Brookes is having to stand down because of family commitments but she has been shocked that no-one in the community is prepared to take the job.

She said: "We have advertised in the parish magazine and put notices in shops in Market Lavington, Urchfont and Potterne but we have not had a single person come forward.

"I would be devastated if the day centre had to close. It is the only social contact that many of these people have in a week.

"It is ever so satisfying to do. The people who use the centre are lovely people and it is a fun thing to do."

The day centre opens every Tuesday. At present 16 elderly people, many of them in their 90s, are brought to the centre where they can chat, play Scrabble, cards or dominoes, and then sit down to a hot lunch brought from the kitchens at nearby Lavington School.

In the afternoon, Mrs Brookes arranges for some kind of entertainment, from visits from Kooky the Clown to bingo sessions, quizzes and music.

The centre has struggled to get helpers for the last few years. When Bunny Odbert retired from running the scheme two years ago after 18 years, the centre closed briefly until Mrs Brookes was recruited.

She said: "Sometimes we only have three helpers which makes it very difficult. It takes two to carry the heavy tins of hot fodd from the school and you can't just leave one person in charge.

"It is only one day a week, although there might be some out-of-hours phoning involved, and the old people get so much pleasure out of it."

The organiser is paid £6 an hour. If anyone is interested they should contact the Rev Harold Stephens, the chairman of the trustees of the day centre, on (01380) 813914 or e-mail him on harold.stephens@ukonline.co.uk

Rev Stephens, who is vicar of Market Lavington, said: "The trustees have been searching for a new organiser since Christmas with little response and no applications.

"We now face the prospect of closure after Easter a great shame for the elderly of our communities. The day centre has provided a valued and much-loved service for so many people."

Market Lavington Parish Council is to approach the owners of the Old School, the Radnor estate, about taking a five-year lease on the building.

It will discuss the possibility of renovating the building and using it for other activities in the village. It may then decide to make an offer to buy the building.

Market Lavington lost its village hall in 1995 and plans to build a new community centre have run into many problems. Two applications for lottery funding have been turned down.

At a recent public meeting it was suggested that the Old School be renovated and turned into a community centre but the meeting was told it would cost at least £100,000, which would not include alterations for wheelchair access.