A WOMAN whose cousin and aunt are in the same care home is one of 1,700 people who have signed a petition to keep it open.

Sue O’Shea’s cousin Diane Moult, 56, and her 90-year-old aunt Doreen Huller are both residents of Holme View Care Home in Holme Wood.

Mrs O’Shea and other concerned relatives have got the petition together as part of a campaign to stop the specialist dementia unit from closing.

Families set up an action group after finding out that the council run care home was under threat and its 22 permanent residents might lose their home.

Mrs O’Shea, 55 and from Otley, said: “This campaign means a lot to me and my family and all the other families. The more support we can get behind it, the better chance we have of succeeding” .

The action group says as well as the 22 people living there, another 10 stay regularly on respite, ageing from 56 to 97.

“The residents are among some of the most vulnerable in Bradford and because of their dementia are unable to voice how they feel about the possible closure of their home, but specialist dementia trained staff at the home and relatives see how stressed and unsettled some of the residents have become at the impending closure,” she added.

The action group next meets this Sunday at 2pm at the care home in Gillingham Green.

Campaigning families claim closing Holme View would be in direct conflict with the Council’s own housing strategy for the over 55s Great Places To Grow Old 2011-2021 which says“ we want everyone to have a choice of where they would like to live”

Cllr Val Slater, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “We are currently reviewing our policies in light of significantly reducing budgets and the growing demand on all aspects of social care and the standards that are now demanded. The Great Places to Grow Old policy is now four-years-old and much has changed since that was introduced and this is one policy being reviewed. A decision on the future of Holme View is likely to be made at a summer Executive Committee meeting.

To sign the on-line petition go to you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/keep-holme-view-care-home-open