A new charity has been formed to save a Hampshire cancer support centre from closure.

Shockwaves were sent around Romsey in July when Wessex Cancer Trust announced it was closing Jane Scarth House next month to concentrate on services in larger towns and cities – forcing clients of the popular Romsey cancer counselling centre to travel to Southampton, Winchester and further afield for help and advice.

Wessex Cancer said larger support centres would be opened in Salisbury, Bournemouth and Portsmouth over the next 12 months and Jane Scarth House clients would be offered free transport to alternative centres.

That sparked anger from supporters of the much-loved Jane Scarth House befriending centre, which opened in 1995.

Now a rescue package has been launched that will allow Jane Scarth House to continue to serve the town and surrounding villages.

Those behind the rescue bid have formed a board of trustees from the town and they are currently looking for temporary premises to run services in to bridge the gap between the time Wessex Cancer vacates Jane Scarth and the reopening of the building, which is likely to be in November.

A spokesman for the team behind the charity Romsey Cancer Centre said: “It is our intention to lease Jane Scarth House as soon as it is vacated, this should be mid- to late-November.

“We have founded a new charity with the intention of continuing the work of Jane Scarth House and we have applied for registration to the Charity Commission, but this process can take weeks.

“To help support the centre we intend to open a charity shop, the lease is not yet signed but the anticipated opening is at the beginning of December. We will soon be asking for donations of goods to help stock the shop.”

The group is now looking at ways of fundraising to provide a free service to clients and the general upkeep of Jane Scarth House once they take over running it.

Services at Jane Scarth House cost around £60,000 a year to run and last year about 1,700 clients passed through the support centre’s doors.

Chairman of Romsey Cancer Centre Mike Gratton said: “This is very good news not only for the centre and the shop but also the people of Romsey who have been very worried about the future of Jane Scarth House.

“We have an excellent board of about a dozen trustees. We have been able to move forward and put a package together to save Jane Scarth House and all we need now is the backing of Romsey with fundraising and I have no doubt the people of the town will get behind us.”

The first big fundraiser for the new charity will be a supper dance with a live band at St Edward’s School in Sherfield English on October 18.

Tickets cost £15 and for more detail email info@janescarthhouse.co.uk. Jane’s daughter Stacey Sherman said it was good news to hear that the centre named after her late mother was to stay open: “I am very happy to hear that the centre will be continuing. I am sure there will be lots of individuals who will also be very happy to hear this latest update.”