THE fight will go on! That is the defiant message of Norman Hickey whose New Year resolution is to continue to fight a decision by Lancas-hire County Council to close 32 of its 48 care homes, four of which are in Hyndburn.
He said: "I've said I was against the plans all the time, even when people said it would be pointless. I've written to Tony Blair and Greg Pope and we will take this fight all the way to the European courts if we have to."
Norman's wife of 55 years, Phoebe, is a resident in Northlands care home in Great Harwood so the issue is very close to his heart.
The 83-year-old said: "I went to visit Phoebe 333 times last year. I go up there to see her almost every day. There was a time when I didn't go for about a week because I went to Normandy to commemorate all my comrades who died during the Second World War.
"That is the thing which really makes me angry because the people in these homes are the people who fought for this country. I watched a programme about the war over Christmas and it showed what these people went through.
"It's as though the county council is forgetting what these people did. It's no way to treat people. These are the bravest and most courageous people alive.
Reflecting on the festive period, Norman, who was a member of the 5th Battalion of the East Lancashire Regi-ment, said: "It's been a quiet Christmas really because we're not sure about the future. The most upsetting thing is we don't know what is going to happen next.''
Norman, of Church Street, Great Harwood, is a member of the Hyndburn Action Comm-ittee fighting the closure plan and he can often be heard airing his objections during public meetings and council meetings throughout the county.
He said: "We have around 60 members and we won't give up. It will never be the end for us. I've told them that if I should die I shall expect my wife to be in Northlands when I'm gone but I don't think they are taking much notice.
"Phoebe and I are like bookends, one can't exist without the other. We're just hoping the plans will be scrapped and destroyed. We are taking the county council to the high court in March. We are going to tell them they are not going to get our care homes."
Norman and Phoebe planned to see in the New Year together.
He added: "It's been a tiring 12 months but we have got to be optimistic. We won't give up."
