MORE than 200 people hit the streets of Aberystwyth at the weekend in protest against the proposed closure of Bodlondeb care home.

The strength of feeling over the future of the under-threat Penparcau care home was evident on Saturday morning when hundreds of campaigners gathered outside Siop y Pethe, in Owain Glyndwr Square, before marching along Terrace Road, the promenade and through the town centre.

There was a mixture of ages and backgrounds as residents, from young families with pushchairs to men and women in their 80s, marched alongside union members and politicians of all parties.

Ceredigion County Council is currently consulting over the need to close the care home, claiming it would cost too much to keep it open.

The closing date for submissions to the consultation is this Monday, 25 September.

Speaking to the crowd, Plaid Cymru AM for Mid and West Wales, Simon Thomas, a Penparcau resident, said: “The proposal to close Bodlondeb does not make adequate provision for residential care in the county and region and does not address the needs of an ageing population.”

Owain Davies, branch secretary for Unison, said: “It is absurd for Ceredigion council to be proposing the closure of its sole remaining residential home in its most populated town.”

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