Funding blow to Lyme learning centre (From Bridport and Lyme Regis News)

Funding blow to Lyme learning centre

10:39am Thursday 25th June 2009

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LYME’S community learning centre is under serious threat of closure after its major financial backer pulled vital funding this week.

LymeNet bosses admitted an already ‘dire’ situation had now worsened following the devastating news that they will lose £10,000.

Thousands of people in Lyme Regis will be affected if the centre’s worst fears are confirmed and it closes down.

Managing director Lucy Campbell said: “The situation was pretty dire at the beginning of this year. We were quite badly off but we managed to scrape through by holding payments we needed to make until later in the year. It looked like it was getting better, but now with this money gone, it’s pretty serious again.

“To be honest, I haven’t been able to work it out myself yet and I don’t know what the answer is. I wouldn’t like to say whether there is an answer. Obviously it affects a lot of staff here.”

UK Online Centres, which enables access to computers and the internet, has been a regular funder of the centre but pulled out for 2009/10 because of massive demand.

“A huge amount of centres applied for it this year and they didn’t have enough to go around,” said Miss Campbell. “Even though we have received funding from them for a number of years, it’s time for someone else to have a bash at it.

“This is a huge amount of money to lose – it may not seem very much but that is a huge chunk of our year’s budget gone.”

The centre costs around £90,000 a year to run, excluding office expenses, and up to 1,000 people pass through the doors every month.

“It reaches people who I don’t know where they would go if we weren’t here,” said Miss Campbell.

She said it was no secret that running the not-for-profit organisation was a constant struggle but the situation has deteriorated dramatically in recent months. She said: “It has been the case for LymeNet for some time but certainly in the last year we have been struggling very much with finances.

“In the past there has been a lot more money available for further education and adult learning but it has been cut gradually over the years.”

Since opening at St Michael’s Business Centre in 1999 as a subsidiary of Lyme Regis Development Trust, the centre has provided training and learning opportunities which include adult education, after school activities and help for excluded or home educated children.

The funding from UK Online Centres allows the centre to provide computer and internet training, particularly for older people.

“We have been helping around 20 people a month,” said Lucy. “We will try to continue the service as much as possible.”

Sam Jones, south west regional manager for UK Online Centres said: “Unfortunately, there was just not enough money in the pot to award a grant to every centre.

“The LymeNet Community Learning Centre has received £30,000 in UK Online Centres’ grant funding since 06/07, and we’re really disappointed that we can’t fund them this time around too. With limited funding available, centres have to bid afresh for every grant to ensure money is distributed fairly.

“LymeNet is a fantastic centre helping lots of people get to grips with computers and the internet, but its bid was unsuccessful because we had so many very strong applications.

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