Community centre fears for future after funding loss

A community group described as a "lifeline for so many" faces an uncertain future after it lost its main source of funding.

The Liverpool 6 Community Association, based on Queens Road in the Everton area of the city, runs a youth club and operates a food bank and a school uniform scheme.

It said it had failed to secure ongoing funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Chief executive Shirley Marshall said that while volunteers would attempt to keep its core services open if they cannot secure replacement grant income, outreach projects for residents in sheltered accommodation would have to stop.

The community group has launched an online campaign aiming to raise £6,000 to cover immediate its running costs and protect key services.

More than £3,000 has so far been raised.

Liverpool-based singer-songwriter Jamie Webster visited the hub in August to stress how important the Liverpool 6 Community Association is to the area and its people.

Marshall said activities provided for older residents, such as afternoon teas and bingo sessions, were crucial in helping to combat loneliness and social isolation.

"Sometimes I know that my staff are the only people they see that month," she said.

"It's a lifeline for so many."

Nine members of staff at the community group could lose their jobs when their 90-day notice period ends in October.

"Most of my staff are funded through the lottery, and it's the lottery funding that I haven't got," Marshall said.

"I am on my computer all the time, looking for little pots of money to help us.

"You just have to keep going."

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