Mental health support group locked out of Stourbridge hotel without notice
A mental health support group is "desperately" looking for somewhere to meet after being locked out of Stourbridge's Talbot Hotel.
The Black Country Mental Health (BCMH) peer support group have been meeting at The Talbot for two years but when they turned up this week the hotel was closed.
The Express & Star reported last week how several long-term residents were refusing to leave their rooms as representatives of the hotel's jailed owners tried to illegally evict them.
BCMH chief executive Sandra Vaughan said: "We arrived to find the building closed, we were given no advance warning whatsoever. The only people at the hotel were residents who were saying they were refusing to leave the place, it was a little bit awkward.
"Our members have anxiety and depression and the situation was not ideal, the team leader took them to the cafe in Tesco, which is not ideal because it is a public place where whatever is being said can be overheard.
"The Talbot Hotel owners had been good to us, they let us use a room for free and gave us teas and coffees."
She added: "We are desperately looking for an alternative free venue in Stourbridge for people who live that side of the borough. Ideally it would be near the bus interchange so people can get there easy.
"If anywhere can help give us a ring on 07951 580792."
The Talbot Hotel has been part of Stourbridge High Street since the 17th century but since the turn of the year complaints about New Horizons, the company managing the hotel, started escalating.
Company director Joao Maia E Silva, 46, of Chipping Norton, and Shaun Melson, 57, of Brackley, Northamptonshire, were jailed for eight months at Wolverhampton Crown Court after admitting endangering life by not adhering to fire safety laws.
New Horizons Hotel Ltd, was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,000.
The hotel can no longer be booked online but is still being used to house vulnerable people in need of temporary accommodation.
New Horizons operate the Talbot Hotel and a man called ‘Carlos’ told residents they had leave the premises, the Express & Star attempted to make contact several times hoping for a comment without success.
