A HAYDON Wick community group offering friendship and a new lease of life to disabled people, will be forced to close unless it gets help with funding.

Tech4D installs computers in the homes of disabled people and then sends a helper round to teach them, on a one-to-one basis, how to use the machines.

The group's 115 members are from all over the Swindon area and are aged from five to 80.

They are being taught skills ranging from using e-mail to working with digital imagery and using desktop publishing.

Kathleen Poynter, 63, is now the secretary of the group but six years ago, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and became suicidal.

She said: "When I was diagnosed, I was so miserable I made up my mind I would kill myself. I was talked into having a computer and after three months training from the group I passed my Pitman Word Processing exam. I had hope again."

But the group's lottery grant ran out this year and applications for other grants have not been fruitful.

Tech4D currently rents a room in the Pinehurst People Centre, but this is proving to be costly.

They are concerned that they will be forced to shut down unless they can get more funding.

Jackie Cook, 48, chairwoman of the group said: "We are appealing for help from local companies and anyone else who could donate to the group. We always need old computers and other equipment and we really need help with rent..

"Even if the sponsorship was only for a year it would help us."

The group's website is www.tech4D.co.uk.