A CHARITY which faced closure has been saved from the brink by National Lottery funding.
Volunteers, staff and service users at Harrow Women’s Centre in Andrews Close, Harrow are celebrating after being promised five years’ worth of funding from the Big Lottery Fund after its an application to Harrow Council for a grant was rejected last year.
Set up 20 years ago, it provides a safe space for women in need, hardship or distress and provides them with support and counselling; health, mental health and legal advice, and complementary services.
Ruth Hiscock, centre coordinator, said: “We had 100 per cent of our funding cut from Harrow Council last April and we were given no transitional help, though we did have healthy reserves.
“We were due to close in December but we have carried on and now we have Big Lottery funding.
“The staff have been working on voluntary hours so we can carry on.
“Services haven’t been damaged but obviously now we don’t have the reserves we built up over 21 years.
“When we heard we were delighted, it has been a very hard year from March last year, but this year will be better and we are hoping to grow and grow.”
The centre has four part-time office staff and 32 qualified counsellors and all the staff agreed to work on a voluntary basis while funding was secured.
In total 51 volunteers, including counsellors, help the centre run.
