MUCH-needed outreach services for young victims of domestic abuse in Wyre Forest have been forced to close after a last-minute bid to secure funding failed.

Similar services for women which, last year, helped 39 desperate women sort out their problems without having to flee to the district's refuge, had already folded when money ran out at the end of the financial year in March.

The children's outreach project folded on Friday, despite the plight of both services being highlighted in the Shuttle/Times and News last month.

Women's Aid manager, Jayne Barker, said: "The loss of this outreach work has left a massive void and is extremely worrying.

"We have run outreach for women for 10 years and there are a lot of women who do not want to come into the refuge for whom this service is vital."

The children and young people's service had only been running for a year but was a lifeline for youngsters whose home life was blighted by domestic abuse.

A part-time worker had supported 23 vulnerable youngsters with funding amounting to £13,000 and it had been hoped to expand the service. The women's service needed £27,000 to carry on for the next year.

Ms Barker vowed to continue the quest to attract grants to restart the two services, which were funded separately from the refuge.

"We are being very pro-active in looking for sources of funding for the women's and children's outreach services," she added.

The services' failure to attract support was blamed partly on trusts not allowing repeat applications and on many grant-giving bodies being oversubscribed.

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