A LIFELINE service supporting homeless women in Winsford has received a £70,000 cash boost from the Big Lottery Fund.

Cotswold House, which offers support and accommodation for vulnerable women, received the news of the funding last week.

The money will be used to pay for two part-time posts; a resettlement officer and a training co-ordinator, as well as helping the service secure more funding in the future.

Lesley Dryhurst, lottery co-ordinator at Cotswold House, said: “We are over the moon. It is a massive lifeline for us.

“It means we have an extra 12 months with both members of staff, whose roles are really important to us.

“When the girls are with us, which can be anything from 12 to 18 month, they have their support workers, funded by Weaver Vale Housing Trust.

“But a lot of the time we find that all the hard work is undone as soon as you hand them a new set of keys - you can’t always expect them to carry on without any problems.

“The resettlement officer ensures that work is sustained and the support is still there so that we don’t end up with a repeat homelessness.

“Our training co-ordinator has also proved a success. In many cases formal education has failed these women so we need to try and bridge that gap and teach them the skills to get them off to the best possible start when they do move on.

“At the moment it is working really well and we have just set up a new partnership with Mid Cheshire College so that the training they do receive is accredited and the girls get a certificate to prove it.”

Formerly the YWCA, the house was taken over by Weaver Vale Housing Trust in 2006, and features nine fully furnished bedrooms, three larger rooms for women with young children, 24 hour staffing, CCTV, internet access and communal gardens, lounge, kitchen and bathrooms.

In 2007 the house received more than £300, 000 from the Big Lottery Fund. It also relies on funding from the Weaver Vale House Trust and housing charity, Supporting People.

Lesley added: “The money has given us an extra year to bring in more professional help so we can evaluate what work we have done and really prove our worth so when the money does come to an end, which it will, we can continue to sustain what we do.”