It's crunch day for women's centre

Keighley Women's Centre was expecting to hear whether it has been successful in obtaining £158,498 from the National Lottery to fund its three paid staff.

Projects run from the Edwardian terrace house, bought and refurbished last year with a £190,000 handout from Government-funded English Partnerships and Keighley Single Regeneration Budget, face being drastically slashed if the money fails to arrive. But outreach worker Maureen Basierak said the three paid staff would consider struggling on in the search for more funding.

"I would not like to see the service close without a last-ditch effort. We would have to pare down the services and courses we run but we would still try to keep the drop-in centre going," she said.

"If that went many women would be very upset. They come from all over the community to make social contact. Many of the women are isolated - they are divorced, suffering bereavement, ill health and many are still supporting families. This is a real life-line for them. We can't bear to see it fold. It offers them lots of positive benefits. It helps many of them step back into mainstream life."

She said a drop-in service is held every Thursday and run by the three paid members of staff and there is potential to open on other days if the finances are made available.

The centre opens five days a week and provides a number of projects including a home-safety scheme for young families and elderly people, a project for carers and sitters dealing with dementia, and various courses, including assertiveness training and counselling.

On average 250 women a month use the centre which was set up in 1983 and was provided with rent-free accommodation in Alice Street, Keighley, by Bradford Council until that was withdrawn in 1997.

It moved into the converted Edwardian house in January shortly after it lost a bid for £53,000 from Bradford Council.

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