A day centre that has provided companionship and activities for Eton's older residents for 25 years must leave its current premises.

The Charteris Day Centre in Eton Square was set up 25 years ago by the then Provost of Eton College Lord Charteris and operates from college owned premises.

But membership has declined in recent years from about 100 to less than 30 and the trustees have decided it should leave its existing site early September.

The centre is run by Eton College's Poor's Estate charity and this week Christine Boyd from the charity said the centre would continue in new premises two miles away at Eton Wick Village Hall.

She said: "The demographics have changed in Eton. It is not an ageing population any more, it is more transitory.The majority of the centre's members come from Eton Wick anyway now.

It has not closed. It will be in new premises and the college will continue to give support."

She said the village hall would be able to offer better disabled facilities and parking and that members who needed it would get transport there.

But this week one angry regular Doug Tomlinson, 88, said he would not be going to Eton Wick.

Mr Tomlinson said: "They are taking away my oasis. This is a club - totally different from a village hall with wooden chairs you have to clear away when you are finished. They have totally lost sight of old peoples' needs."

At last week's meeting of Eton Town Council some members were unhappy that Eton would not have an older person's centre in the town any more - it has already lost its ex-servicemen's club after years of declining membership.

Cllr Douglas Hill - Eton's pharmacist and himself a trustee of the centre - was not happy the decision. He said: "Eton residents that use it are unhappy, Lord Charteris would turn in his grave."