A charity that has helped improve the lives of thousands people across Brighton and Hove is set to close after 13 years of providing learning to community groups and disadvantaged people.

The Working Together Project has being forced to close due to a lack of funds despite fundraising efforts and the offer of a grant from the council to allow the charity to continue.

Paul Bramwell, the strategic development manager and one of the founders of the charity said: ‘’There has been a public outcry at our closing.’’

The Working Together Project has helped train over 9,000 people with a variety of programmes. It provides the opportunity for people to take advantage of free learning having offered over 900 courses covering everything from IT training to campaigning skills.

Mr Bramwell said that the aim of the Working Together project had been to make the community as effective as it can be and that as a result of people coming on its training schemes it had helped people become more employable.

The demise of the working Together Project means that there will no longer be any charity offering cost free specific training and learning programmes to adults.

Joanna Martindale who helped start the project and who is now Chief Executive of The Hangleton and Knoll Project said: “It was just the friendliest of organisations allowing many people marginalised by their life experience to come together, learn and make change.”

The Working Together project has being funded by a steady stream of project grants which has helped to employ a group of specific experts to deliver the training.

Mr Bramwell said that he had realised money was getting tighter for the past few years as a result of government cuts to adult learning and increased focus on spending more money on frontline services.

Despite the offer of funds from the council, it was not enough for the charity to carry on long enough to secure new project funding.

Brighton & Hove City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities and Public Protection, Councillor Ben Duncan, said: “The Working Together Project made a very valuable contribution to our city for a number of years and I am sorry to see its passing.

The Working Together Project will be holding a party to celebrate its achievements on 30TH March at Circus Circus. It has invited anyone who has being involved with the charity to come along and celebrate its achievements.