WORKERS at a pioneering Bolton charity helping battered women and their children are celebrating after securing a last minute funding lifeline.

Paws for Kids, which finds foster homes for pets while their owners are living in women's refuges throughout the North-west, was expecting to have to close its doors at the end of this month.

Cash had run out and a lottery bid for further funding was unsuccessful.

But this week delighted staff were told by Bolton Council housing officials that the authority will donate £3,000 to match a £3,000 grant from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, with a promise of a further £6,000 in the next financial year.

"It is fantastic," said relieved pet service worker Kathy Gilfillan.

"We were literally going to have to close at the the end of February.

"This means the animals are safe and we can continue to offer our service until next year."

The charity was set up more than three years ago after it was realised that some women and their children were reluctant to escape violent homes because they could not take pets with them to refuges.

Demand has grown and now staff say they are so busy that they are having to turn animals away. To cope with the workload they are hoping to find more women volunteers who can drive and would help collect animals and take them to foster homes as well as liaising with refuges.

Anyone who in interested can contact Paws for Kids on 698999 for more details.