A DISABILITY group has been brought back from the brink after an 11th hour reprieve.

Volunteers who run the Barrhead and Neilston Disabled Forum (Band F) feared the group would be forced to close as it was unable to pay for its carers.

In December, the News told how Band F organisers were worried they had held their last ever Christmas party.

Members were unsure if the local authority would continue to provide them with carers when the budget was announced for the new financial year, which started this month.

However, those concerns have now been put to rest, as East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has agreed to help Band F out in its time of need by offering “staff time” for the next year.

After hearing of the decision, the group’s chairwoman, Margaret Reilly, 69, said: “It’s great news and I would like to thank the council.

“We’d also like to thank the members and all the people who gave donations to help keep the club going as well.

“We thought we might have been shutting in April, but now we’ve got the carers for another year.”

Currently, Band F requires two carers for its once-weekly sessions at Dunterlie Resource Centre to assist members with mobility issues.

Last year, the forum faced disbandment when East Renfrewshire Council (ERC) withdrew its funding as part of a budget which required the local authority to find more than £17 million of savings.

Offering activities, care and opportunities to socialise to dozens of elderly and disabled residents, Band F has been operating in the town since 1994.

It regularly organises days out to the seaside, as well as bingo afternoons and chiropodist sessions.

Run as a partnership between ERC and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, East Renfrewshire HSCP brings together services for children, families, adults and the elderly.

A spokeswoman for the East Renfrewshire HSCP said: “We recognise the important role Band F plays in the community, so we have made the commitment to provide staff time for one more year.

“This will give the group leaders the resource to link in with the voluntary sector and to look at alternative arrangements, which will be essential to its future.”