THE parents of a severely disabled woman are so distressed by Scope’s “senseless” proposal to close the Douglas Arter Centre, they have threatened to cut the charity out of their wills.

John and Sheila Murray’s daughter Louise has lived at the centre in Odstock Road, Salisbury for the last 20 years.

She needs 24-hour care and has been safe, content and well looked after there since she was 18 years old.

But now the mental health charity Scope is planning to close the centre, and Ms Murray’s parents say there is nowhere else in the area that will meet her needs.

“This is just senseless,” said Mr Murray, 70. “My wife and I are getting on, and we thought we could live out the rest of our days knowing that our daughter was settled and secure.

“Then suddenly we got a letter saying they were thinking about shutting down her home and the bottom fell out of our worlds. We have been so stressed and upset by the uncertainty; it is having an impact on our health and Louise is aware that something isn’t right, which is horrible to see.”

Ms Murray was born with a condition where the two sides of her brain aren’t connected properly.

She can’t talk, is blind in one eye and can only walk a few steps with help.

Nine severely disabled adults live at the Douglas Arter Centre but Scope says the kind of care it provides is “old fashioned” and disabled people should have more choice about where they live.

The day centre is set to remain open but the 39 staff who work in the residential centre could lose their jobs.

“We have no other children and were going to leave everything to Scope,” said Mr Murray.

“But if they are going to close the Douglas Arter Centre and let our daughter down then they won’t get a penny.

“So many of these charities are being run like businesses – all about the money and not about the people they are supposed to help. If necessary we’ll hit them in their pocket where it hurts. We want to let them know the upset they are causing.”

Jayne Kilgallen, Scope regional director for south services, said: “We have been meeting regularly with John and Sheila to explain why we are making these proposals and how we will support their daughter through this time. We want to make it clear that this is not a decision based on saving money.

“We completely understand why the proposal to close the Douglas Arter Centre has caused a lot of concern for residents and their families, and want to assure everyone that we have made this proposal following a great deal of consideration.

“Many disabled people – including those with very complex needs – have been successful supported to live independently.

“We think that in 2014, disabled people should expect to be able to have more choice and control over decisions in their lives.”