A BARROW service which supports disabled people in getting money, grants and mobility aids they might otherwise go without has been saved for another year at least.

The Disability Advice and Benefits Service (DABS) has secured the £67,521 it needs to stay open in 2017 from charitable trusts, community groups and councillors, meaning it will not close, as feared, on December 31.

READ MORE: Campaign to save Barrow disability service worth millions gets huge public support

DABS, which is based at the Barrow & District Disability Association in School Street, had been put at risk of closure after its main source of income, the Big Lottery, did not grant it five-year continuation funding worth £361,246.

However, the determined DABS team launched a campaign to raise enough money to keep its doors open for 2017, with the Sir John Fisher Foundation and Francis C Scott Trust making significant donations.

The team will now reapply to the Big Lottery and show that its long-term future is viable, with other funding bodies supporting it too.

Huge relief


Margaret Burrow MBE Margaret Burrow MBE, chief executive officer at the BDDA, said: "I really can't believe that we have achieved it.

"It's nice to be able to say when despairing people come in who have nowhere else to turn, 'yes, we can help you'.

"We now have funding for a year seeing us through from January 1 2017 to December 31 2017 and in that year we will be resubmitting to the Lottery.

"Last time one of the reasons that we didn't get [the funding] was down to bad luck because they said they gave out £30m but they had £50m of good applications.

"We have already submitted stage one to the Lottery and if we get to stage two then it will be a six-month period before we get the outcome, so that's why it was vital that we had to get funding for next year.

"This has bought us time and if we are lucky enough to get five-year funding from the Big Lottery then that will get us to December 31 2022 and hopefully by then the devastating effect of the welfare reform will be over."

Call for help answered

The following measures have been taken to save DABS from closing in the last few weeks and go beyond the £67,521 running costs needed in 2017:

- Successful applications to the Sir John Fisher Foundation and Francis C Scott Trust;

- Transfer of £30,000 in reserves from the BDDA to DABS;


Sophie Brennan, a DABS volunteer, put on a 'Guess Winnie's Weight' competition to raise money. - County councillors serving Barrow have pooled individual budget allowances and money to collectively donate almost £30,000, with Anne Burns, Kevin Hamilton, Bill McEwen, Jane Murphy, Helen Wall, David Roberts and Mel Worth all contributing;

- Cumbria County Council Local Committee for Barrow has given £5,000 from its general provisions pot;

- Various fundraising activities, including a concert at The Cottages in Schneider Road;

- Lots of financial support from kind community groups gained, including the North Walney Tenants and Residents Association (£500), the Barrow and District Horticultural Society (£200) and Barrow Inter-league (£500).

About DABS

DABS employs two specialist advisers who give advice to disabled people, their family and carers to secure the benefits they are entitled to, as well as extra support and allowances.

Since 2011, the team have secured at least £6,605,720 for local people, vastly improving the amount of money in the pockets of disabled people and getting free or discounted mobility aids.

Historically, not all disabled people take up the support available to them and struggle to navigate through complicated legal jargon and application forms.

READ MORE: Petition hopes to save disability benefits service in Barrow

A petition to save DABS received almost 1,000 signatures and the effort and campaign to maintain services beyond December 31 2017 is continuing.

Comments from the petition

• "I feel it a big part of our community and am massively against the idea of closing it down, this would be a massive loss."

• "No words can describe the importance of this service and can only pray for a positive solutions so the service can continue to support local disabled people their families and carers."

• "A vital service for Barrow. And some lovely people offering that service."

• "Services like this are even more important right now, when there are being so many cuts made to all services for the disabled and those with special needs."