March 7, 2016 2.09 pm This story is over 96 months old

Lincolnshire home support charities to merge

Joining forces: A leading family support charity with centres across the whole of Lincolnshire has agreed to merge into a single organisation.

A leading family support charity with centres across the whole of Lincolnshire has agreed to merge into a single organisation.

Eight Home-Start charities based in Lincoln, Sleaford, Gainsborough, Boston, East Lindsey, Grantham, Stamford and South Holland are to join forces under the banner of Home-Start Lincolnshire.

The charity has insisted that its core support will be unaffected but working together will mean that the organisation is able to reach more families and children.

Home-Start has been in Lincolnshire since 1984 and the 500 volunteers help over 1,000 families and 2,300 children each year.

Protesters against the removal of Lincolnshire County Council’s funding . Photo: The Lincolnite

Supporters of the charity came together in the summer of 2015 after Lincolnshire County Council announced it would remove all of its funding.

A protest was held outside the county council’s offices, with protesters armed with banners condemning the cuts.

However, the charity has claimed that the £430,000 taken away in funding did not influence the merger.

Chief Executive of Home-Start Lincolnshire, Tracey Ruddock, said that the merger is “very good news for the people of Lincolnshire.”

She said: “A single charity means we can make savings and work more efficiently, whilst supporting even more local families and children in need of help.

“Our staff and volunteers will now be able to make an even bigger difference to people’s lives throughout the county.”