Staff at teachers' retirement home Elstree Manor are devastated after being told the home is to close.

The home, run by the Teachers' Benevolent Fund (TBF), is closing as the charity cannot afford to pay for financial losses which the Manor, now only 65 per cent full, is incurring.

Manager Anil Trika, 53, has been working there for 23 years. She said: "The residents and staff are extremely upset. The staff have grown old with the residents.

"I have given my life here, at least my working life. It's very, very sad. I'm so cross about the whole thing, frustrated and sad for the residents. They are crying on my shoulder. What can I tell them?

"Over the years teachers used to come to us and become more frail. One of our youngest staff got married last month. The first thing she did when she left the church was come here to show her wedding outfit to the residents who couldn't make it to the church."

Elstree Manor is one of four homes run by the Teachers' Benevolent Fund. It has been renowned for the quality of life enjoyed by its residents since it opened around 30 years ago.

The Manor was designed in the 1960s. Many of its rooms are now considered undersized by the charity and few have ensuite toilet facilities, while the needs and expectations of elderly people have increased.

A statement from the Fund's chief executive Patrick Nash said: "The well-being of residents and staff is now TBF's top priority. A full programme of counselling and support has been developed to minimise any distress.

"The TBF will work with each resident to find a suitable new home, either in the local area or in one of the TBF's other homes. The TBF is actively seeking homes where residents and staff can move together in a group if they choose.

"The services of a social worker will be utilised to ensure as comfortable a transition as possible. A full process of consultation is planned. In addition, the TBF has also set up an employee assistance programme which will provide counselling for staff who may need extra support through this difficult time."

The charity says that the Manor's poor standard of accommodation has led to an increasing number of vacancies in the home.

Over the past nine months the TBF's national council has explored options for the home and consulted with architects, specialist consultants and experts in the care field. They concluded that it would not be possible to upgrade the building.

Mr Nash added: "If it had been designed flexibly we could go in and make the changes. But we can't do it without the building falling down. It's one of these awful situations.

"But we are in negotiations with providers in the locality to look at providing a wholesale transfer, although it is of course up to the staff and residents whether they want it."

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