A PETITION to help save a service in Barrow which secures grants and benefits for disabled people has been launched.

Staff and volunteers at the Barrow & District Disability Association are trying to keep their Disability Advice and Benefits Service open.

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The service has been put under threat of closure after missing out on continuation funding worth £361,246 from the latest round of Big Lottery handouts.

The two advisers and admin staff member employed at DABS have helped win claimants more than £6 million in payments and mobility aids since 2011.

Now, a petition has been set up by the BDDA and can be signed at the School Street premises as well as various other town centre venues, including Women's Community Matters and Mind in Furness.

'Fight back'

Margaret Burrow, executive officer at the BDDA, said the petition was just one development in the bid to save the service.

She said: "We have contacted various places and had lots of meetings.

"We are not down and out yet. We have to keep going. The people who have contacted us are very upset and distressed wondering where on earth they will get such help.


Paul Duffin and Sophie Brennan are collecting signatures to build support for DABS. "It will affect other services in the area. We've had letters of support from Mind in Furness, Citizens Advice Bureau and the food bank.

"We have to fight back."

The Evening Mail's Abbey Road office in Barrow is another place to sign the form.

Excellent track record

DABS was set up in July 2011 thanks to a five-year grant of £294,449 from the Big Lottery.

Since then staff at DABS have gone on to work on 14,564 cases, secured at least £6,605,720 in income for people in need and, just as importantly, signposted people to other agencies, for both social and financial referrals.

Advisors have supported isolated people as they appeal against lost money in the controversial Personal Independence Payment reassessments and won newly disabled people and their families benefits to manage rent and household bills.

Income secured for people by DABS

2011 - £653,127.89

2012 - £1,805,802.89

2013 - £1,300,000.00

2014 - £1,362,303.60

2015 - £1,351,882.60

2016 - £121,806.96 (when figures were last calculated at the beginning of the year)