A BROMSGROVE care home, which has been earmarked for closure, could be granted a stay of execution at a meeting tomorrow (Thursday).

Worcestershire County Council's executive cabinet will finally decide whether Blackmore House is to remain open after more than three months of consultations.

At the end of October, county councillors said that they wanted to demolish the School Drive home and replace it with 'very sheltered accommodation'.

However, last Thursday a county council document revealed that the preferred option was now to keep the home open until at least 2007.

County council spokesman Lee Shrimpton said: "The council has not done a U-turn. When the future of Blackmore House came up for discussion at the end of last year the new Government care standards had just been introduced.

"At that stage the only option was to demolish the home, however now it is possible that the home could stay open. And this is the first time county councillors have been able to make a decision."

But, for Christine Bourne, whose 86-year-old mother-in-law is a resident at the home, the last three months have been an anxious wait.

She is part of the action group who has been campaigning to save the popular home, which specialises in caring for the elderly who are suffering with dementia.

They held a successful protest march back in December and drummed up the support of townsfolk by collecting signatures in the High Street last month. The campaigners will also attend the meeting at County Hall in Worcester tomorrow (Thursday).

"I just hope the county councillors now stick with the option to keep the house open," she said.