A CHARITY has vowed to continue its work after a funding blow forced it to make staff redundant.

All four full-time workers at Rossendale Enterprise Anchor Limited (REAL) have been served with notices, just weeks after it relocated to Haslingden.

But the group’s chair said she was ‘hopeful’ that its bank of more than 50 volunteers would allow it continue its services.

REAL, which offers practical and administrative support to other charities and community groups in Rossendale, had applied for a grant from the Big Lottery Fund but was unsuccessful.

It moved from St James’s Square, Bacup, to the Mary Hindle Centre in Bury Road, Haslingden, earlier this month as part of cost-cutting measures. Hazel Harding CBE, chair of REAL’s board, said: “We hope we will be able to secure funding from other sources. At the moment we have a lot of volunteers to help us through.

“The current staff will finish work around April 1.”

Asked if she was confident the charity would continue, Mrs Harding said: “I would say hopeful rather than confident.

“We have pieces of work ongoing and we can still offer support. A couple of the staff were contracted on an ad-hoc basis and because we had some resources we were able to continue with them.

“But it’s not fair to employ staff if we can’t pay them.”

REAL has helped several groups get off the ground including ex-services charity Veterans In Action.

Mrs Harding added: “We have been unique in what we provide.

“We support other in what they do. A lot of groups would not happened without our help.

“We will continue to look for funding. There are chances all the time.”