A COUNTY based charity fears it will have to stop providing a service for the community since it has lost its lottery funding.

Jumpstart Kidz, which is based in Ross-on-Wye, runs seven soft play groups in the county for pre-school children and parents who are faced with rural isolation, social deprivation or who just need a bit of support.

The charity's annual running costs are approximately £50,000 a year and for more than ten years lottery funding has financed 60 percent of these costs.

But the Big Lottery will not provide funding for the next academic year which means the charity's staff have been given redundancy notices.

The charity has organised an open meeting in Ross on July 6.

Funding and development manager Jane Powell said: "The hope is that someone will come forward and want to take it forward. As it is at the moment, this service is going.

"Unfortunately it is very typical of what is happening in Herefordshire for children. I wouldn't want to have an under five at the moment."

Jumpstart Kidz has been running for 21 years and reaches 400 families a week. Local grants provided about 20 percent of the running costs and the fees of £2.70 per soft play session provide the remaining 20 percent.

Jane added: "We have had a very difficult time in recruiting trustees onto our board. We have got two trustees. They volunteer their time and I think really we need five or more to drive something forward."

The trustees now think the time is right for others to consider stepping up to take over the running of the charity or look at how the equipment and resources of Jumpstart can be used by a new organisation to continue providing affordable play sessions for children under five.

Jane said: "Someone needs to come forward and redevelop the whole concept or maybe form a cooperative.

"If the service just isn't there, that is when people say I could help. If there is anyone remotely interested in keeping these services going, now is the time to step forward."

As it stands the sessions will run until the end of July and not start again in September. Six staff have been made redundant.

Jane added: "It is a local service providing for local people. Actually there aren't many that are still out there. If it goes that is seven sessions a week that they have then gone and you can't get them back."

Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting at the Ryefield Centre in Ross-on-Wye on Thursday, July 6 at 7pm to discuss the future. For more information about Jumpstart contact: Jane Powell 0797 2341104.