‘A damn shame’ is how a 98-year-old Epsom woman has described the council’s closure of the Wells Centre where she has been going to an art class every week for 17 years.

Cybil Johnson, 98, who painted a stunning watercolour of the Wells Centre to mark its closure, said her reduced mobility means she would not be able to get to the new Longmead Centre and she is preparing to give up her hobby entirely.

Surrey Comet:

In the face of local Government cuts, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council decided in December to close the centre, relocating social services to the Longmead Centre in Sefton Road.

The centre will remain open for community groups to run their own clubs but these would not be funded by the council – with those not financially viable inevitably closing, councillor Eber Kington confirmed.

Mrs Johnson, of the Crescent in the Wells Estate, went to the class every Wednesday for the past 17 years, when the Wells Centre first opened.

She said: “The Wells Centre was really good for people like me to have somewhere to meet.

“We used to have an art class of about 14 of us where we’d paint watercolours of whatever we liked – like scenes around Epsom – but now we have nowhere to go.

“I had a mobility scooter but at my age I can’t use that any more and I don’t see why I should have to pay for a Route Call bus to get to the Longmead Estate.

“I used to love it. I used to go every Wednesday and it's a damn shame it's closing.

"I tried oil paints for a while but my favourite thing to do were watercolours of landscapes.

"I'll have to find something else to potter about with."

Surrey Comet:

Cllr Kington, of the Residents’ Association, said the ‘very difficult’ decision was taken because of severe cuts to funding from the Government – but said it was only fair to the taxpayer that all clubs should to be affordable.

Cllr Kington said: “Things like this are very difficult – I accept that – and it’s a tough situation.

“But we only have so many resources and it’s only fair to the general taxpayer in Epsom and Ewell for all clubs to be affordable.”

He also pointed to the fact that the council will spend £70,000 on a refurbishment of the Longmead Centre and affordable housing will be built on the site of the Wells Centre.

Last week Rita Baker, of Spa Drive, Epsom, wrote to the Epsom Guardian to complain that the council had asked Wells Centre users to pay £7 each for the farewell party.

She wrote: “Surely it should be the council and the Residents’ Association who should foot the bill, as they are the ones depriving those who visit the centre daily.”

Damn shame or necessary cut? Comment below or get in touch at ben.weich@london.newsquest.co.uk