RELATIVES are celebrating after a closure-threatened care home has been saved.

Your Housing Group has confirmed today that it has accepted an offer from Halton Council to buy Madeline McKenna Court.

The Caxton Close development will be run in partnership by Widnes-based social care company Community Integrated Care.

Families were left devastated after discovering their loved ones could be homeless after current owners Your Housing Group said the home was ‘no longer financially viable’.

Valerie Grainger, from Upton Rocks, whose mum, Joyce Lowles, 87, has dementia and is a resident, said: “Everyone is delighted. We will be having a celebration.

“It would have been a complete nightmare if we had to move mum.

“We have had a meeting with Community Integrated Care. They gave us a great deal of comfort saying things will continue as they are.

“The same high standards with the same staff in place.

“There is a lovely atmosphere.

"My mum is thriving there, very happy with big smiles."

Families teamed up to fight to save the Hough Green home.

“If we had sat and accepted what we had been told it would have been a very different story,” added Val.

“All the residents got together and put pressure on the council and MP.

“The fact that The World highlighted it made a huge difference. We would like to thank the paper for all your support.”

Jacqui Carman’s mum, Ethel Moore, 94, was one of the first residents and has lived at Madeline McKenna for 24 years.

She said: “This is the best news ever.”Families have been told it could take between eight and 12 weeks to complete all the legal paperwork.

John Cogbill, executive director for Core Housing at Your Housing Group said: "The board of Your Housing Group has accepted an offer in principle from Halton Borough Council to purchase Madeline McKenna Court.

“A meeting was held with residents and their families to inform them of the decision and to outline the next steps.

“Your Housing Group is now in the legal process to finalise the sale, subject to approval from our regulatory body, the Homes & Communities Agency.

“We will be keeping residents and their families regularly informed as the sale progresses and will be liaising closely with Halton Borough Council during this period."

Halton Council’s executive board decided to buy the 23 bedroom residential home after months of negotiation.

Halton Council leader Cllr Rob Polhill said: “We wanted to do all we could to save this home.”

The home had a sale price of £450,000 and currently generates an annual income of £347,873.

This figure is expected to increase significantly with full occupancy.