A CHARITY that helps families in need is set to close due to a lack of funding.

Home-Start Bury offers support to families with young children, helping them cope with everything from bereavement, divorce, mental-health problems or disabilities or post-natal depression.

The charity had previously received funding from Bury Council and Bury Clinical Commissioning Group, however, that has since been withdrawn.

The charity's board of trustees took to Facebook on Friday to announce that, in light of the lack of funds, it would be closing at the end of May.

The statement read: "The Board of Trustees has taken the difficult decision to close the charity due to a lack of investment from Bury CCG and Bury MBC - who up until recently have provided the core funding to Home-Start.

"Home-Start Bury has always been able to secure funding from external funders such as BBC Children in Need and Big Lottery. However, these funders like to have evidence there is some commitment from the local authority; sadly, we no longer have this in place.

"When Home-Start Bury closes, there will be no other locally-based early intervention services to support families in the same way that Home-Start does: offering personalised parent-to-parent support in the confidential environment of the family home during weekly visits for as long as the family needs support.

"This early intervention approach stops many families from reaching crisis point and needing costly statutory support.

"All families and volunteers are aware of the situation and support is being offered to help signpost families to other local facilities…. but the reality is that there aren’t any services left for families in Bury.

"Childrens Centre’s services have been cut year on year, and simply don’t have the capacity to support anyone other than targeted interventions. There are very few universal services such as Home-Start, left for families. Our hearts go out to those families as well as our brilliant staff and volunteers."

The charity’s manager has also expressed concerns about the future of other volunteer organisations in the town. Kate Brookes, manager at Home-Start Bury, said: “Without sustained core funding, I fear we may lose even more vital, front line services.

“The impact of this will be felt the greatest by those most vulnerable in our communities.”

The charity, which is based at Bury Business Centre in Kay Street, previously announced it was closing in 2016 after the council decided not to renew a contract.

After hundreds of people signed a petition arguing for the charity to be saved, a deal was struck whereby the council and CCG would inject cash into Home-Start on the basis that the charity secured funding from other sources.

It subsequently obtained funding from a number of sources, including Children in Need and the Big Lottery Fund.

The news of the latest closure will not affect the five other Home-Starts across Greater Manchester, and talks are taking place to work out ways in which they can continue to support families in Bury.

Bury North MP James Frith said he was "concerned and surprised" about the planned closure, adding: “I’ve asked Bury Council to provide me urgently with information about changes to funding and I’m prepared to host talks to broker the continuation of the service and support bids for new funding to ensure more families can continue to benefit from this vital support.

“I last intervened a few years ago to protect funding for the organisation after it was overlooked. I hope this is the case again and the matter can be resolved quickly and the funding secured.”

Bury Council and Bury CCG have been approached for comment.