RESIDENTS at Barnoldswick's Cravenside Home for the Elderly have expressed relief that their home has been saved.

There is relief too for the staff at Cravenside, who value and enjoy their work with the elderly.

"It's not just the money that brings us to work, I come because I love my job here," said Deborah West.

"The staff here were shocked and devastated when Cravenside was on the closure list. They couldn't believe it was closing."

Colleague Susan Driver added: "It is certainly a relief. The staff here have been worried for themselves and more so for the residents. At that age, it must be a real worry."

Both Deborah and Susan said there was a strong team spirit at Cravenside, where staff worked above and beyond the call of duty to make it a happy home.

"It's certainly lifted staff morale here and we're determined to persuade them to keep Cravenside open in the future," said Deborah.

As reported last week, Cravenside is one of just three homes from 35 across Lancashire to escape closure.

Back in February, Lancashire County Council unveiled proposals to close 35 of its 48 care homes. It claimed it did not have the money to bring the homes up to the latest standards imposed by the Government.

But there was disbelief that Cravenside - a purpose-built flagship home just 16 years old - was included on the "hit list".

Residents and staff there and across the county feared for their future as the proposals went out to public consultation.

They sparked a wave of opposition, with protest rallies, petitions and the formation of action groups. West Craven's Liberal-Democrat county councillor David Whipp led opposition to the proposals at Labour-run County Hall. But opposition came from Labour too, with Pendle MP Gordon Prentice and other East Lancashire MPs speaking out against the proposals in Parliament.

They urged the county council to rethink after the Government relaxed its position on meeting the new standards.

But at a briefing last week the county announced it would still close 32 of the 35 homes on its list.

Just three were spared including Cravenside, but their future will be reviewed in four years' time.

This week Cravenside resident George Stevens, 90, said he was relieved at the news, but felt sorry for others in homes that would close.

"What about all the others that will have to move?" asked George.

"They (the county council) are wrong in their heads! What would they do with me if they closed Cravenside - put me out to grass?

"Where would I go? They'd push me off somewhere but I want to be where I want to be, not where they want to put me."

George moved into Cravenside 16 months ago when he could no longer cope at home, and he loves living there.

"I lived in Barnoldswick but I didn't know we had a place like this. They look after me here."

His relief was echoed by other residents at Cravenside.

Asked if she was happy to be staying put, 99-year-old Beryl Bell replied: "That's an understatement."

Fellow resident Isobel Greenwood, 93, said: "I think it's a good idea to keep it open. You want for nothing here."

Lancashire County Care Services' area manager for Pendle, Sue McGrath said the reprieve marked a new beginning for Cravenside, and a chance to show it could meet the needs of the community both now and in the future.

"We recently won a contract to develop a rehabilitation unit here at Cravenside.

"It's a very exciting and positive development and a new service for people in West Craven," she said.

The "rehab" unit will act as a halfway house", helping people to get back on their feet and regain their independence after an illness, a stay in hospital or even a bereavement.

People would typically stay in the unit for around six weeks, benefiting from the help of occupational therapists and physiotherapists. It should enable them to return home, with ongoing help from a range of support services.

There has been a growing demand for that type of intermediate care, matched by a decline in the demand for full-time residential care.

Cravenside is ideally placed to meet that changing need. It operates as six group living units, with one of those units now converted to rehabilitation and the possibility of more being converted if necessary.

"The beauty of Cravenside is that it is so flexible," said Sue.

"We already provide residential and respite care and day care, and we will have the rehab unit. It will give people another option, to stay in their own homes if they want to, with all the support services that they need."

Once the new unit is up and running, Cravenside will have 39 full-time residential beds and five rehab beds, possibly extending to seven.

"We have to make these services work," said Sue.

"We have to be flexible and respond to need, to meet the needs of the community. I can assure you that the commitment from the staff team will be huge, as they want to see Cravenside develop and thrive."