HELL or high water couldn't keep threatened residents of Fylde Coast's rest homes from making an appearance at a public meeting this week to discuss their future.

Around 20 residents, some wheelchair-bound, from Crossacres in St Annes, Worsley House in Fleetwood and Queensway Lodge in Poulton battled against high winds and rain to take-up their seats on the front row in St Chad's Hall, Poulton.

In excess of 200 other people including relatives of residents, members of the public, campaigners and pressure group members from across Lancashire joined the pensioners and crammed into the hall to tell County Coun Chris Cheetham -- the man behind the controversial consultation proposing to close up to 35 of Lancashire's residential care homes -- exactly what they thought of him and his plans for closure.

Cabinet member for Social Services Mr Cheetham told the meeting: "Many believe that this is just a paper exercise and that I have already made up my mind to close the homes.

"This is not the case. The truth is it is a consultation and I am ready to listen to everyone's views and concerns on the matter."

He also talked about the costs involved in refurbishing the rest homes and bringing them up to the national standard, saying it would cost £14 million.

He rounded off his speech by saying: "I have to face some very difficult decisions that can't be left alone and although I realise that you can't please everyone all of the time, this is an evolutionary change and it has to start somewhere.

"We are not going to start closing care homes in June this year as previously stated and no one will be thrown out onto the streets.

"I am not heartless, cruel and do not hate old people despite what people think and I am determined to care and protect the elderly."

Throughout the meeting he stood firm to the proposals outlined and said he believed that it was the best overall descision to close down the homes but that the number to be closed was open to discussion.

Wyre Council leader Pat Catlow then opened the floor to questions from the public and a torrent of hands went up and a very heated and emotive debate ensued for the next two hours.

Issues ranged from why maintenance hadn't been kept up on the homes over the years and why other MP's didn't agree with the plans on the cost of keeping people in their own homes.

Local resident Charles Kellam also purported to have documentary evidence in the form of a letter from the council which led him to believe that closure of the care homes was a foregone conclusion.

A special needs teacher said: "What is happening is like a mirror image of what happened to people with special needs when the mental hospitals were closed down and the care in the community ethic was put in place. This did not work and neither will closing down the homes for the elderly."

But the most moving arguments came from relatives of residents who spoke out with great fear and worry about the devastation that would be caused to their parents/grandparents if they were to be moved at this point in their life.

As the meeting drew to its conclusion one member told the meeting: "It took my mother just nine weeks to die after she was forced to move rest homes.

"I hope you will be willing to go to the funerals of these residents when everything they know is turned upside down."