A POPULAR service which provides vital support for the elderly in Malvern could be at risk of closure after its funding was stopped.
Age UK Malvern and District’s Forget Me Not befriending scheme was launched in November 2013 to give older people, who feel isolated, the confidence to live a ‘proper life again’.
But fears have been raised it could be forced to shut down due to a lack of money.
The service had received a total of £34,000 over the last two years through Worcestershire County Council’s public health budget.
However, following the latest round of Government cuts, council bosses have been forced to make savings of £3.3million, which is set to impact on a number of key services in Worcestershire.
And George Waugh, chief executive of Age UK Malvern and District, told The Observer once the funding was stopped on September 30 there may be ‘no money to continue to run the service’.
“It is always difficult to get funding, particularly at the moment,” he said. “The problem we have as far as any funding is concerned is central Government are cutting back which has a knock-on effect to local Government.
“We are desperately trying to find funding from elsewhere to supplement funds we have got but like everything else, our reserve funds are not a bottomless pit and at some stage we will get to a point where we can’t run this service at all.”
The service, which matches isolated people with a volunteer to visit them at home and help them join in community activities, currently has 108 clients and 54 volunteers.
And Mr Waugh said its closure would also impact on a number of people as he added 27 per cent of the Malvern Hills population is over 60 and 42 per cent is over 50.
“The aim of this is to get people out of the house and back into the social strata,” he added. “Instead of sitting down twiddling their thumbs we try and get them back out into the public and get them living a proper life again.”
Malvern Hills District Council, which provide Age UK with an annual grant of more than £4,000, were given the funding by the county council to pass on to the service.
Coun Rebecca Massey, portfolio holder for health and well-being on the district council, said: “Some one-off funding from the public health budget of Worcestershire County Council was made available to set up a befriending service in the district.
“The district council then passed this money on the Age UK, which was fully aware the funding was temporary and the county council would not be providing any more money after September 2015.”
A county council spokeswoman confirmed funding was passed to MHDC and that it had been cut.
For more information on the Forget Me Not befriending scheme or to donate, contact 01684 560585.
