A CHARITY which supports up to 200 disadvantaged families has been forced to close due to a funding headache.

The board of trustees at YMCA Ellesmere Port has reluctantly decided to pull the plug on the scheme, which operates from a base at the Christchurch Centre, the former parish church in Worcester Street.

Chief executive Dave Pearson told the Pioneer it had become a “Herculean task” each year to fund the community projects.

Although YMCA is a nationwide charity, the Ellesmere Port scheme is independent and has to generate its own funding.

It provides an after-school club, a community nursery and numerous youth-based activities for families living in the deprived Westminster area of the town.

Those services will cease on December 31, although family support groups will continue to run until the charity officially closes on March 31.

Mr Pearson said: “Reluctantly we’re having to close the charity. There is no financial crisis but there isn’t enough core funding around.

“Every year we have the Herculean task of raising £95,000 and that is just to pay for our staff, insurance and bills before anything else.

“The trustees, to their great credit, are looking at it responsibly. We can ensure we close in good order rather than burying our head in the sand.

“We’ve found an alternative provider for our community nursery but had no luck with the other services.”

He added: “I’ve put 17 years of my life into this and it’s going to be very difficult to say goodbye to people I have worked with for such a long time.”

A mother-of-two whose children attend the after-school club said: “We desperately need this service for the youngsters. It helps people who are working and need somewhere for their children to go, or those who just need a break.”