A LIFE-changing rehab centre that helps residents to conquer addiction is set to close for a year of works.

The Ley Community in Yarnton is due to undergo a complete overhaul of its site and services, but a nun has raised concerns about the impact its absence could have on those struggling with drug and alcohol abuse.

According to an announcement on the not-for-profit centre’s Facebook page, the core therapeutic programme at The Ley closed this month and full closure of its other services is set to commence in March, when any remaining residents will be resettled.

Sister Frances Dominica, a trustee of The Porch day centre for the homeless and founder of Helen & Douglas House hospice, said the centre had done 'sterling' work.

In a letter to the Oxford Mail, the East Oxford resident said: "I was privileged to be a guest at several of the annual 'graduation' ceremonies when recovered addicts told their stories.

"It was profoundly moving.

"But now the Ley Community is closing down because it seems local authorities cannot fund a year’s therapeutic intervention.

"I would suggest that that is pennies compared with attempted interventions on our streets by police and other agencies, often resulting in addicts simply moving on to the next place."

The Oxford Mail was unable to contact The Ley for clarification but it is understood the closure will be temporary, though the extent to which its services will change is not clear.

The centre was founded in Littlemore in 1971 and provides a five-stage residential recovery scheme for four addicts per year, who live and work together and learn how to build a better life.

It is a registered charity and noted in its most recent annual accounts that 'disinvestment in drug and alcohol services is likely to continue for two to three years in line with forecasted reductions in health and social care funding in real terms'.

Sister Frances noted the director of The Porch is among the many graduates who now help others in society.

She added: "They are, I believe, a superb testimony to the effectiveness of The Ley."

Earlier announcements on The Ley’s Facebook page said the changes were 'in response to the broader and increasingly constraining economic pressures effecting the drug and alcohol treatment sector'.

One post stated: “The Ley will be redesigning its facilities to create a new purpose-built environment that is better equipped to meet the increasingly complex and diverse needs of those we serve.

"Our main guiding principle through transition is to protect the core philosophy and concepts of the Ley while ensuring that we operate within an innovative and flexible framework.

“The past months have been particularly tough for all concerned with the Ley but we are now able to see a vision for the future that is filled with many exciting opportunities.”

The most recent statement said works will ‘continue through 2019 and into 2020’.

It added that some staff members 'who have served the Ley impeccably' would be moving on as a result of the closure.

See Saturday’s Oxford Mail for Sister Frances’s full letter.