A VITAL community service is under threat after both of its paid employees were served with redundancy notices.

An emergency meeting is to be held next week to establish the future of Community Action in Rossendale (CAR), a Haslingden-based community support group.

The registered charity, based at the Mary Hindle Resource Centre, failed to secure funding for the projects manager and projects officer posts after it started up more than four years ago.

Since then the charity has helped hundreds of community, voluntary and faith groups and provides a bi-monthly newsletter featuring events, which is distributed to around 400 members and groups.

The future of the services have now been thrown into question as volunteers at the charity prepare to say goodbye to Emma Siddle, its projects officer, on Friday, and projects manager Irene Kay on March 31.

Initial funding was secured from the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) and the lottery's Community Fund.

But two recent bids to the Community Fund were unsuccessful and the group is now awaiting the outcome of a bid to the lottery.

The centre will remain open and will continue to be run by volunteers until an action plan is drawn up at the meeting on March 31.

The meeting will be held at the resource centre in Bury Road where the future will be discussed with user groups, councillors, Rossendale MP Janet Anderson and the leader of Lancashire County Council, Hazel Harding.

Emma, who has worked for CAR for four years, said: "It's awful that we are having to leave. We have had so much response from people saying how sorry they will be to see us go which is what makes it more emotional.

"We loved coming to work because we felt like we were doing something good to help other people.

"Working in the voluntary sector your post is always subject to continuous funding. We only ever had funding for three years initially and in the last year we have been running on reserves, so it was always at the back of our minds that one day this day might come."

Haslingden councillor Peter Starkey expressed his sorrow at the news. He said: "I was shocked to say the least when I learnt about this because it was being run so well and benefiting such a lot of people in the community.

I don't know why there were no more funds because there certainly should have been as it provides such a valuable service.

"It's very, very sad that this has happened and of course it puts the future of the resource centre into question.

"It's a well used building, used by the credit union, citizens' advice bureau and I come here for the Police and Community Together meetings, so it would be a great loss to the community."

John McManus, vice chairman of CAR, said: "We are hoping to raise about £20,000 to keep the building open.

"It is with regret that we are having to say goodbye to Emma and Irene because the work they have been doing has proved invaluable.

"We feel we haven't been treated very fairly because we were expecting six years of funding to keep it going from the National Lottery."