A BRITISH Red Cross service in Alton is facing permanent closure unless it can recruit more volunteers to help support vulnerable people.

Based at Alton Health Centre on Anstey Road, the Red Cross mobility aids service closed its doors on April 1 for approximately eight weeks, while a recruitment drive for volunteers gets under way.

The mobility aids service provides short-term loans of wheelchairs and other mobility equipment to people with a temporary disability or after a hospital stay. The service is volunteer led and more volunteers are needed to keep it open.

Jacqui Blake, mobility aids volunteer co-ordinator at the Red Cross, said: “This is a really important service that helps many people every year maintain their independence. The Red Cross is committed to keeping the service running in Alton but we are calling for more volunteers to help us process the requests and oversee the running of the operation.”

She added: “Without volunteers the Red Cross would not be able to give people the help they need in a crisis. We depend entirely on people who generously give up a few hours of their time to help others.”

While volunteers are needed to make a regular commitment, Ms Blake said that just a couple of hours per week would make a “huge difference” to people in the local community.

Volunteers will undertake many roles, including issuing the equipment, demonstrating how to use and maintain it to service users, processing requests and providing general customer service.

Anyone interested in volunteering should e-mail [email protected].

uk or call 01483 429 253 or 07738 944 581.