A CHARITY set up to help abuse victims around the world has been saved after councillors approved plans to turn a former bingo hall in Accrington into a mini-market and auction house.

Faithful Healing Ministries’ future looked bleak after planning officers urged councillors to throw out the plans for the former Empire Bingo Club, in Blackburn Road, claiming the charity didn’t do enough to show there were not any more suitable sites closer to the town centre.

The charity’s trustee and administrator, Rev Clive Fisher, praised politicians for giving the green light — and saving the charity from closing down. He said: “It would have been stupid not to pass it. They wanted us to have a report that would have cost more than £1,000.

“They wanted to know if there was anything more suitable near the centre of town. We would have had trouble with parking in the centre of town, and there’s already a market there, where we wanted to be on the outskirts.”

A cafe has already opened on the site, a daily mini-market with around 12 stalls will be open by the end of this week, it is hoped, and four auctions a month will be held.

All profit will go towards the charity’s work helping abused children, men, and women around the world.

Rev Fisher, who uses £120 out of his £190 weekly pension credit to support the charity, added: “If the plans had been rejected, we would have had to close the charity completely.

“We are working in this country, in Ukraine, and also in South Africa.

“We want to encourage people to try the cafe and to bring things in for the auction. The cafe is open everyday except Sunday, from 9am until 4pm.”