A domestic worker at a Richmond Home says she does not care if she is sacked for speaking out against the home's closure.

Teresa Berry, who has worked at Hampton Wick's Moiravale for three years, says she is happy to risk losing her job in order to speak out. The 39-year-old said: "I don't give a damn about being fired. Moiravale is the only respite home in the borough. It's a specialist unit and respite care is totally different from residential care. We have people with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease who, if they have to transfer to other homes, will probably not get the same care."

Staff broke down in tears when they were told of the closure in a personal visit from social services officers two weeks ago.

Another worker who asked not to be named said: "Many of our clients have short-term memory problems but here they had the same staff looking after them, the same room, their favourite foods, so they felt more comfortable. Moiravale has a good name because the clients get that little bit more attention."

Also due for closure is White Farm Lodge, a residential home for 49 elderly people in Whitton. The council hopes to save money on residential care by contracting outside organisations to manage the homes. For the past two Saturdays, members of the Concerned Relatives of White Farm Lodge Association have been gathering signatures in Whitton High Street to petition the closure.

Council leader David Williams said: "These proposed changes are designed to give better residential care for the elderly in Richmond. That is what is driving this as the number one priority."

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