FOR months the lives of those regularly attending the Fourways Centre hung in the balance.

Closure looked imminent for the service, which provides activities for around 200 disabled people in Poole on a daily basis.

Back in 2002 Borough of Poole's Social Services was dealing with the backlash following a £1.1m overspend and shutting down the facility, in Constitution Hill Road, seemed the only option.

But following an aggressive campaign by the Daily Echo, service users and carers, a U-turn decision saw the centre saved and social services bosses began work on plan B.

After months of discussions, meetings, and an extensive consultation with the facility's regulars, provisional plans to turn the service from an exclusive day care provision into a community centre, accessible to disabled people, were finally agreed in June.

It will be brought up to date, while still safeguarding the existing service, with the existing building remaining untouched until the services currently available are up and running in the new facility, which will be built on the same site.

A decision to release Fourways from council control sparked fears that this could not guarantee the centre's future.

But Charlie Sheldrick, head of adult social services provider for Borough of Poole, was quick to reassure both councillors and service users.

"The issue is clearly not about privatisation, it's about partnership," he said.

"The reality is that disabled people are now being encouraged to make decisions for themselves.

"There has been a commitment made to ongoing provision for all current users and future users."

That commitment extends to ensuring that service users will not be left in the lurch while the new project is carried out, and involving them in the decision-making process.

A new partnership board, with a 60 per cent membership of disabled people, is now being created to oversee the development.

Project manager Cheryl Adams said: "There are going to be elections for service users representatives run by Paul Morris, who is the returning officer for Poole, in the next few weeks.

"It's going to allow service users to be involved in decision-making and involved with every stage of the process - it goes a lot further than consultation.

"We are really trying to work with people, alongside people. It gives a sense of ownership and involvement, being in control of services.

"It's not a case of the professional knows best, it's about trying to keep it person-focussed."

Service users have already been consulted about what they want to see from the new centre and their input, said Elaine Atkinson, the council's community care portfolio holder, has been invaluable.

"We found in the consultation with users that it's very easy to stamp an able-bodied person's view on what disabled people want and need.But that doesn't tie-in with what disabled people need and want."

Already suggestions have been put forward for a gymnasium, an internet caf and a licensed bar at the new facility.

It will be a far cry from when the centre was seen as a last-chance saloon for disabled people in Poole.

"This used to be the end of the line," said Elaine.

"If you had a learning disability or became physically disabled, you came here. But, increasingly now, because more services are available to people with a disability and a lot of the service users here have got an acquired disability, they don't want to come here.

"If they've got somewhere else to go and something else to do they would rather do that."

Service users are currently referred to Fourways by health and social care professionals and go for either just one day or all week, either just for the morning or all day - 10am to 3.30pm.

The facility, which has 190 regulars at the moment, offers therapeutic activities which meet people's needs but also respond to their choice.

They can take part in tasks such as basket making, computer work, papier mache, wood carving and foreign languages, to name a few.

But the most important opportunity Fourways offers its service users is the chance to get out of the house, and to meet with friends. Pat Moulders currently visits the centre three days a week.

"It's being able to get out of the house and when you're here you forget everything," she said. "You meet your friends, you do things and your mind is completely off what's wrong with you.

"It gets you out. Otherwise I'd be sitting indoors all the time."

Siona Wheeler, who lost her sight at the age of 25 and has been a regular at Fourways for the last 20 years, agreed.

"If I wasn't here I would just be sat at home," she said. "It's places like this that get you out and about and doing things."

When the new Fourways is finally finished - bosses are aiming for it to be completed by the end of 2006 - it will not be a centre exclusively for disabled people, more a day centre with access for disabled people.

Elaine Atkinson said: "A large amount of work still remains to be undertaken but I hope that everyone who has been involved to date will feel as excited as I do at the emergence of the prospect of rebuilding Fourways and developing new services which will be truly inclusive."

While there is some concern among the users about how the groups of disabled and able-bodied people will interact, but they do remain generally upbeat about the future and are looking forward to the prospect of a centre where they will be included, rather than segregated from, the outside world.

"I feel very reassured about the changes," said Siona. "Because as far as I know they told me they're going to build another day centre in these grounds and it sounds exciting.

"I'm looking forward to it."