A fundraising and support group is demanding to know why St Denys Retreat Centre in Warminster faces closure.

The trustees of the retreat centre, which provides residential retreats, quiet days and events for groups and individuals at Ivy House in Bath Road, have said it will shut by Easter 2014.

But the Friends of Ivy House feel there has been virtually no public or staff consultation and not enough time was spent considering all the options.

The Friends now want to speak to the trustees before a meeting on December 10 which is set to confirm that Ivy House will close.

Canon Harold Stephens, spokesman for the Friends, said: “We are all baffled and extremely disturbed that such a decision should have been made without careful and extensive consultation with all involved.

"If a school or church was closing there would be a consultation so people could understand the reasons behind the decision.

“We just don’t understand the reasoning behind the move as its use has increased by more than 60 per cent in the past eight years.

“We would like the chance to speak to the trustees and to have the chance to see if there is anything we can do to save it.”

Ivy House has been in use for more than 100 years as a mission college, convent, theological training college and, for the last 40 years, as a retreat house.

When contacted, the trustees said that only chairman David Prior, who is on holiday in India, could speak on the matter.