A KNIGHT in shining armour has saved Haydon Wick's Young at Heart Club from closure.

Generous Malcolm Gayfer has offered to pay the £500 yearly rent increase himself indefinitely after reading about the club's plight in the Adver this week.

And another man, who wishes to remain anonymous, handed club treasurer, Joyce Hewlett, a bundle of cash in a bid to keep the club going.

Mrs Hewlett, 71, who feared the club would have to shut after Swindon Council upped the rent, has been absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity of the two men.

She said: "I am so shocked but very happy.

"I think it's marvellous that there are people out there who do care about the senior citizens."

Mrs Hewlett told the members yesterday that the club has been saved and they cheered and clapped with joy.

Owen Shellard, of Thames Avenue, Haydon Wick, has been a member of the club for 12 years.

The 76-year-old said: "I am very happy indeed.

"If the club had to shut there would've been a lot of lonely people."

In September the club, which meets every Friday at the Haydon Centre, will celebrate it's 21st birthday.

Mrs Hewlett had planned to make a cake and hold an afternoon party.

But, at the beginning of the week she was at her wits end desperately trying to save the club.

She said: "If we had to close we would have had to cancel all of this."

Gwen Fleet, of Trent Road, Greenmeadow, is hoping the club will now be able to continue for another 21 years.

Mrs Fleet, 86, has been a member of the club since it began and was also chairman for nine years and on the committee for 15.

She said: "It's lovely to know.

"When we thought it was going to close it was unbelievable."

However, Mrs Hewlett is a fighter and was ready to battle against the council's rent increases.

She said: "I am a senior citizen myself but I had to fight for the others."

Along with the rising rent costs, Mrs Hewlett has to find enough money to organise activities and trips for the troop of pensioners who belong to the club.

She said: "We couldn't run the club if we couldn't give them entertainment."

When Mrs Hewlett opened her front door to the mystery man who handed her £500 she was amazed.

She said: "I felt like sitting and crying.

"He was wonderful, who would do that. I kissed him."

And when Mr Gayfer, who is the managing director of paper delivery firm Swindon News Round, told her he would pay the £500 increase indefinitely, she was stunned and kissed him too.

She said: "It's marvellous. It means we can carry on."

Mr Gayfer said felt someone had to help the pensioners.

"They are easy prey," he said. "Money is being taken off the people who are least likely to afford it. These clubs that people like Joyce are running are vital. It's probably the only human contact some of the members have during the week.

"It makes me feel good. All these people want this."

He added: "We're all going to get old and I don't want to sit on my own."

Lyndsay Scanlan