Girlguiding UK will press ahead with proposals to sell its five activity centres, affecting almost 100 staff.
The charity said in May that it was planning to sell the sites because they had been losing money for years and would cost more than £20m to bring up to standard.
It has this week confirmed it will proceed with the plans, disappointing thousands across the country who have been campaigning to keep the sites in use.
There have been multiple campaign groups created in opposition to these cost cutting measures with two petitions created that gained more than 57,000 signatures combined.
A spokesperson for Girlguiding UK told Third Sector: “The statutory consultation with affected staff has now ended and we are taking forward proposals suggested to mitigate the impact of staff redundancies.
“After no significant new information emerged that would change the overall sustainability of the centres, or affect the recommendation to sell them, the difficult decision has been taken to move forward with the next phase of the process and sell the five activity centres.
“Funds from the sale of the activity centres will be put into a designated investment fund to support Girlguiding activities, adventure for girls and for a range of purposes to invest in the future of Girlguiding.”
The centres, Lackland Farm, Foxlease, Glenbrook, Waddow Hall and Ynysgain, will remain open until 31 December.
The spokesperson said 97 members of staff would be affected by the plans, including 25 permanent and 62 contract staff.
One group focussed on the preservation of these centres are Foxie’s Future, a charity set up by disillusioned Girlguiding leaders who aim to raise funds to purchase the Foxlease centre in Lyndhurst, Hampshire.
Deborah Lafferty, chair of Foxie’s Future, said: “We are disappointed by the decision that Girlguiding UK has announced today regarding the closure of its activity centres including Foxlease.
“Foxie’s Future remains committed to finding alternative solutions to closure and will now commence further action in earnest. We are pleased to learn that Girlguiding UK may be prepared to consider Foxie’s Future as a purchaser of the site.
“We have our strategy day planned for Sunday 20 August, following which we will make further announcements regarding our future plans and actions to achieve our goals.”
A Girlguiding UK spokesperson said: “Girlguiding’s trustees will make the final decision on the terms of sale for each activity centre and will look to provide the best outcome for the charity.
“Girlguiding continues to be open to options on the sale of the properties, and have been approached by several interested parties, including members.
“We value the lasting and happy memories that have been made over the years and know they have an important place in Girlguiding’s history.
“It is a difficult decision that we wish we did not have to make.
“But it has been made because we have limited resources, we need to focus on our core purpose of supporting girls and volunteers, and we need to make sure Girlguiding is sustainable for the future.”