Compaid has been based at Pembury Hospital for 18 years

Compaid, which provides computer advice and transport to people with disabilities, has been based at Pembury Hospital rent free for 18 years.

Headway, which supports people with brain injuries, is also based there.

Health managers apologised but said they need the space for a state of the art mental health unit, which forms part of the new "super" hospital.

'A lifeline'

The charities hoped to stay put while a new flagship 500 bed hospital is built on the site.

They have said they have it in writing.

But the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said the latest plans do not allow enough space.

It said it was genuinely sorry it cannot now find space for them but the "best solution for mental health patients must take priority".

Evelyn Waghorne, a mother-of-three, who was left housebound and in constant pain after taking a tumble at work, said Compaid is a lifeline for her.

"It opened my world, it gives me a purpose in life and I feel as though I belong.

"You feel like you've got friends and people who understand, it's a lifeline."

The charity estimates it will cost about �500,000 to find a permanent home.

The trust said it will try to help find a new location for the charities but wants them off the site by next June.