Staff still to be paid as charity recovers

The Acorn Centre, on Burnley Road, has been struggling to cover its 15,000 a month running costs recently and was threatened with closure.

But after launching a fundraising appeal and securing new projects that are generating income, the centre's future is looking brighter.

Janet Waithaka, chairwoman of the trustees, said: "We have all stuck together and stayed open despite the fact that we were struggling financially. We can see a way out now, a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's still tough.

"We are still struggling really but everybody is very hopeful that we can pull through. Our will is to push forward."

Ms Waithaka thanked Todmorden town council for its help and Calderdale Council for supporting the people on the Future Jobs Fund programme.

"That's been quite a strain on us because we have not got the number of staff that we would like to do that fully," she said.

"We have been putting all our resources into that rather than doing the other things that we have been doing in the past.

"The trustees and the staff have come down very firmly on the fact that we need to be getting back to our roots rather than setting out on big projects.

"We set up as a charity wanting to help the people of Todmorden. We want to continue to be a resource for the community," she added.

She said the biggest challenge facing the centre at the moment is paying the staff. The trustees put in funds to help pay the wages in October.

Janet hopes more people will sign up to the Friend of the Acorn Centre scheme to support the charity.

"We are hoping that the people of Todmorden will support us on a more regular basis such as a monthly or weekly contribution," she said.