WARRINGTON Peace Foundation’s unique support services for victims of terror will be forced to close at the end of the month if Prime Minister Boris Johnson doesn’t keep his promise to do “everything we can” to ensure funding continues.
On what would have been Tim Parry’s 40th birthday Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Louise Haigh MP is calling on the Prime Minister to act to avoid the closure of service based at Warrington Peace Centre.
Funding ran out at the end of March and was only able to continue thanks to a donation from the Steve Morgan charitable Foundation, which runs out at the end of September -putting three full time jobs and two associates at risk.
For two decades the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation, established in the names of the two boys murdered by the IRA in Warrington in 1993, has provided a free national support service for victims of terrorism in the UK, including trauma-informed health and wellbeing services.
Today (Tuesday 1st September) would have been the fortieth birthday of Tim Parry, who was just twelve years old when he lost his life as a result of injuries sustained in the bombings.
But funding promised by the Prime Minister to the foundation in March has not materialised, leaving the foundation with no option but to close the support service at the end of September without further support. The Peace Centre itself will remain open.
Labour have called the delay an “insult” and demanded the Prime Minister keep his promises and secure the future of the foundation and the ‘vital’ work they do for victims of terror.
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Louise Haigh MP said: “The death of Tim and Johnathan was an unthinkable tragedy, and the work their families have done to support victims of terror in the three decades since has made an extraordinary difference to thousands of people.
“In the week that would have been Tim’s fortieth birthday, it is a real insult that the support service established in his memory is under threat because the Prime Minister simply will not keep his promises.
“In this week of all weeks, the Prime Minister must act and secure the future of the support service and the vital work it does.”
The Prime Minister announced at PMQs on March 11th 2020 in response to a request from Warrington South MP Andy Carter for additional funding, that the government would do “everything we can to ensure that funding [for the peace centre]continues”
