BOSSES say the St John's Ambulance hall in Radcliffe may go - but the unit will be assisted in finding a new base.

The charity was understood to have added the Sion Street building to a list of potential closures, as the organisation looks to plug a £20m national deficit.

But officials insist the existing unit would be given help to secure fresh premises - and could meet remotely until a new home is found.

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen St John undertake its largest mobilisation of volunteers in peacetime, transforming its whole organisation to support the immediate needs of the NHS and communities.

A further review will be carried out in the autumn.

Since the start of the crisis, the charity’s volunteers have given over 160,000 hours of their time to care for patients, delivering this vital activity whilst grappling with the consequences of its main income streams.

Despite an injection of Government cash, funding from the NHS, significant fundraising, a programme of redundancies and other efforts to save money, St John Ambulance faces a financial deficit of £20m.

This significant financial challenge has led the charity’s leaders and trustees to announce the closure of 117 of the 352 buildings St John currently owns or leases with immediate effect - representing the majority of properties that will close.

St John Ambulance’s chief executive, Martin Houghton-Brown said: We have not taken this decision lightly – we know our buildings represent more than just a physical presence in communities.

“However, we have a duty to continue serving these communities by responding to their health needs and it is with regret that we have to reduce our estate to shore up the charity’s future.

“As part of this process, I will be exploring, with St John people, how we evolve to still meet and serve communities.

"Whether that’s using technology to better connect with people or finding partners in the community who would welcome St John, we will find new ways to continue our life saving work now, and for many years to come.”

Questioned directly about the Radcliffe premises by the Bury Times, a spokesman added: "The local management team and volunteers will work together to find suitable alternatives for the volunteers so that they can carry on training and delivering first aid in the community.

"This may mean volunteers meeting in hired premises when they are able to meet face-to-face, or they may be able to move to another St John building that is staying open or shared facilities with Scouts, fire service, or other community organisations.

"As our buildings are currently closed our people have been meeting online and some units may choose to continue to do this."