A charity which supports families in difficulty has received £103,000 in funding.

Home-Start Harwich has been given the money to secure the running of the voluntary agency for the next few years.

Tendring Primary Care Trust (PCT) has pledged £78,000 of core funding over three years and £25,000 will come from the Essex Childrens' Fund.

Laura Garnham, organiser, said she was delighted by the news. She said: "We are delighted and it is great to see they are supporting the wellbeing of young children in preventative work."

New sources of cash had to be found when Essex County Council's joint funding scheme, which supported Home-Start since it began seven years ago, stopped.

The service, based at the Ark Family Resource Centre, Main Road, provides volunteers with parenting experience to offer support, friendship and practical advice to families facing difficulties. Each family has at least one child under five-years-old.

Published Friday, April 18, 2003

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