A VOLUNTEER-led project which supports people with disabilities is appealing for help after being forced to find a new home.

Options For Living will leave its current premises, at Buckhurst Park Community Centre, after funding for the office from disability charity Scope dried up.

But when Peter Mallinson, the chairman of the Walcot Charity Shop and Community Library, heard the news he told the group that they could use their empty premises opposite the library until Sussex Square was demolished later this year ahead of refurbishment plans.

Now, Options For Living is appealing for volunteers to help clear out the new shop, at 7 Sussex Square, so the group can continue to use it for its advocacy work.

Clare Stow, one of the volunteers running Options for Living, said the withdrawal of funding by Scope was not unexpected after Swindon Council cut funding to the group earlier this year.

“To be honest we always knew it might happen,” she said. “As soon as we received the letter telling us we had to be out I went to the charity shop in Sussex Square.

“Straight away, Peter said we could use their old shop. It was the first thing he said.

“We need to clear it all out, which is where we will need some help because the people who use the group have a range of disabilities which will make this difficult.”

Options For Living is a project run by volunteers which was formed late last year after Living Options, which was run by disability charity Scope, announced it would have to close down in January after Swindon Council withdrew £73,530 of funding.

But Scope agreed to allow the new splinter group to use their premises for free for another six months after they secured additional funding to keep the now-separate Living Options service, running until July.

Peter Mallinson said that when he heard about the project’s plight he wanted to do something to help.

“We will always try to help people wherever we can and in this case I’m just glad we could offer the other shop.”

Options For Living now hope to move into Sussex Square in the next week, but will still be looking for more permanent premises before the site is demolished.

For now, the Community Cafe, which is run by the project and helps to fundraise for Options For Living activities, will continue to take place every Thursday at the community centre between 10am and 2pm.

To help clear out the new site, call Claire at Buckhurst Community Centre on 01793 495832.