WARMINSTER’S Information Centre which was on the brink of being closed down due to a lack of funding has been saved after downsizing its services and staff numbers.

The centre, which has been open since 1990, has now been rebranded the Warminster Community Hub and is to be run entirely by volunteers, with a limited number of services and reduced opening hours.

Len Turner, chairman of the Warminster and Villages Community Partnership – which took over the centre in 2005 after funding from Wiltshire Council stopped – said: “The Town Council identified the running cost for everything like the electric and all the day-to-day running costs which was about £500 per month, so they have given use a grant of £6,000 to cover this cost for the rest of the year.

“There is no guarantee beyond that and we have to demonstrate our real value to the community.

“This does mean that we don’t have any money to pay any wages though and we’ve had to lose our managers.

“They were good managers and it’s dramatically sad to lose them after ten years because of the fantastic job they did.”

Managers included George Rich and Lesley Blain, as well as deputy manager Barbara Gilmour, who have all lost their jobs as a result of the downsize.

Other changes include those to services, with customers no longer able to buy National Express coach tickets or use the DHL parcel service.

The hub be open from 10am-4pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and 10am-1pm on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

Despite the reduction in size and services, Mr Turner is confident that the centre can continue to survive after it re-opened at the start of the month.

“It’s a very positive start, we’ve had good support and we’re all coming together,” he said.

“Just by people putting their head around the door and saying ‘you’re still here’, that’s brilliant and it does so much for moral.

“It shows we’re wanted in the community and now for us it’s about getting the right information to people at the right time and doing our job.”