A GROUP dedicated to providing support to homeless people in Blackburn has been forced to vacate its own home.

Community Spirit set up shop in the town’s old fire station in Bryom Road at the end of 2014 after reaching an agreement with the landlord.

However, the building has now been sold and the community group, which runs a soup kitchen every Tuesday, has been told to find another base.

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Around 60 vulnerable people use the service every week and up to 30 volunteers lend a hand with providing the free hot meals as well as toiletries, sleeping bags and other items.

Constructed in 1921, the 0.81 acre site includes workshops, offices, car park and a 60ft-high fire station tower.

Bought by the Blackburn-based property company Adham Group of Companies in 2012 for around £350,000, it was sold the same day to Smart Security Shutters.

The building is now believed to have been sold on, but nobody from the company was available for comment.

Community Spirit was founded in November last year and operated from a car park before agreeing terms with the landlord of the old fire station.

No contract was signed and the volunteers were told recently that they would have to find a new home.

Chief executive and trustee Neil Currie said: “I’m devastated about what has happened and I just can’t believe it.

“We provide a vital service to very vulnerable people in the town and if we were not here every Tuesday then people would really suffer.

“I’m appealing for help from people in the town to support us in finding a new home, temporary of full-time.

“We never signed a contract or anything with the landlord but I never expected something like this to happen so soon.

“We knew that it was never going to be our full-time home, but a little more notice would have been helpful.

“We do not have a place to store everything, so we are in real trouble, “I hope that we are able to find a solution soon and that we are able to get back to helping those people who need it most as soon as possible.”

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