ST ALBANS: A care home for elderly blind people has gone on the market after recently announcing its closure.

The 24 vulnerable residents at St Raphael’s in Avenue Road, were left heartbroken after being told by the charity running the home, St John’s Guild, that they would need to find a new place to live by the end of September.

All but a few of the residents, many of whom were over the age of 90, have now moved out of their much-loved accommodation in what staff have said has been an overwhelmingly distressing time for all concerned.

The reason for closure was originally attributed to the home no longer being fit-for-purpose but it later emerged that a ‘10-year business plan’ was involved, which the charity repeatedly declined to clarify when approached by the Herts Advertiser.

And the Victorian property is now up for sale with estate agents Rumball Sedgwick, advertised as having potential for either continued residential care home use subject to meeting certain criteria or alternative uses.