IT has been helping the borough's most at risk and disaffected young people for 20 years ­—but now Harmony Youth Project is fighting for survival after its funding bid was thrown out.

Charlie Barrett, who set up the Halliwell-based project to ensure all young people are given a chance to fulfil their potential, said: "We are on knees now. We have received this grant from Bolton Council for 15 years and now the council have given Bolton CVS the responsibility of distributing their funding. This is the first year that this has happened and we have not received any of the funding."

The £19,000 funding, he said, would have been a lifeline for the organisation.

Charlie said: "I know I have no God given right to this grant, but this project is based in Halliwell, which is in the three per cent of most deprived wards in Europe, we work with the most disaffected young people, who will not go anywhere else. "

He added: "This May we will are supposed to mark our 20th anniversary but we will not get there without help from the community we have served for 20 years."

Charlie says that over the years the project has turned people away from a life of crime and works with schools to help young people at risk of expulsion engage with their studies using the medium of arts and multi-media technologies.

He said: "We have year in, year out reports from the council, the local police and the community police, the positive effect our youth work provision has helped reduce antisocial behaviour on Friday and Saturday evenings. This service also includes professionally qualified social workers, councillors, youth workers, engaging with young people on the Halliwell streets."

Charlie said that the project was struggling, like other organisations, through the loss of funding caused by the lockdown to contain coronavirus.

News the project had been refused the grant came just days after young people released a fundraising video to support their organisation.

To watch the video visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9VONwyShKY

To support the appeal email admin_harmony@hotmail.com