The longstanding boss of a charity launched after the closure of a psychiatric hospital says the service is as vital as ever as people “struggle to cope with the modern world”.

Barrie Gore, credited by organisation volunteers for helping to save hundreds of lives, has stepped down after almost 40 years at the helm of the Canterbury Umbrella Centre.

The charity was launched in 1988 in response to 1,200 long-term patients at St Augustine’s residential hospital in Chartham being evicted from the facility and released into the community.

Hundreds of patients were left to fend for themselves after spending years in a secure hospital environment, with little or no support.

Today, most of the members using the service in St Peter’s Place have social issues, according to Mr Gore.

“We had great success in getting people to come to terms with modern life, preventing self-harm – and in worst cases suicide – and giving people a home,” the 87-year-old said.

St Augustine’s Hospital launched in 1875 and was at one time known as the East Kent Lunatic Asylum.

It was home to thousands of patients suffering a range of mental health disorders.

But it was closed in 1993 and most of its buildings, excluding the chapel, were demolished.

In the late 1990s, work began on redeveloping the area as a housing estate, which is still known as St Augustine's.

“Mental health had about the same amount of attention back then as it does now, which is lots of talk and no action,” Mr Gore added.

“I came into it in the 1980s simply because my wife knew a few senior nurses who were made redundant and decided to do something for those made homeless or who came out and had nowhere else to go.

“They started a lunch centre at St Peter’s Methodist Church hall.

“It was a lovely thing to do – so humane and very popular – and it got so popular there was talk about finding another building and expanding.”

Canterbury Umbrella became a registered charity in 1988, and it became so popular it embarked on an ambitious fundraising campaign to expand.

It eyed up a martial arts centre riddled with asbestos in St Peter’s Place, a site owned by the city council.

So bosses persuaded the authority to grant a 99-year lease, a modest ground rent and constructed the building, which opened in 1992.

“What has become more apparent over the years is that there are more people with social problems, well-being problems, people who live by themselves, such as widows and widowers,” Mr Gore said.

“Some have been coming for up to 10 years, as there is nowhere else they could go.

“We used to be open six days a week, and we always wanted to be open on Sundays but funding is a problem.

“It is a very complicated world for anybody and if I lived by myself, I would shut my mind to it and let it hit me when it must.

“When they came from St Augustine’s, they didn’t know anything about finance or going to the shops, so we had a very interesting and successful job educating them into modern life.”

The centre has provided support to hundreds of drug addicts and ex-offenders, helping some of them get employment.

“We’ve had people here with knives and scissors, and somebody tried to commit suicide here,” Mr Gore said.

“It doesn’t put me off. A lot of people just want someone to talk to.”

Now 87, the great-grandad-of-four retired from his trustee role at the centre last month after almost four decades.

While being a modest man about his achievements, other volunteers were keen to sing his praises.

Chef Robert McGirr described Mr Gore as an “honest, decent gentleman” loved by staff.

“He doesn’t ever sing his own praises but he is very respected by everyone,” the 65-year-old said.

“He is a local hero and a great guy.

“This place has saved people and Barrie’s encouragement to every generation has been priceless.”