A VOLUNTARY service that has resolved family conflicts in Swindon for the last decade has been forced to fold after Lottery Funding was withdrawn two years ago.

Mediationplus, based in Milton Road, has worked for the last ten years around Swindon and Wiltshire resolving neighbourhood clashes and anti-social behaviour through community mediation.

The team has acted as an extra agency alongside Swindon Council and the police in helping defuse matters that could otherwise have involved a long court process.

The team said it was forced to withdraw the service from Swindon after its future in providing community mediation became unsustainable. For the past two years, funding from Swindon Borough Council and housing associations has kept it afloat.

As of April 1, the service will no longer be available after what was a very difficult decision from all involved.

Jeni Burchell, chief executive officer of mediationplus, said: “We have reviewed this situation every year since the Lottery Funding ended and have been really fortunate in being able to work with the local council, and that funding has really kept the service running.

“The difficulty is that we have submitted all sorts of bids including two to the Police and Crime Commissioner's Innovation Fund.

“None of those bids have been successful for various reasons. While we have a good working relationship with the council, the level of funding just isn’t there. It is enough to keep us going, but we would not be able to train any more mediators.

“While mediationplus is absolutely still here, we will no longer be able to operate the community mediation service.

"It is a real shame this service will not be in existence any more, because we have been successful in cases where it has been difficult to see people reaching an agreement. It has been an incredibly difficult decision to make.

“At that time we had funding from housing associations and from the borough council, and it was hoped we would be able to secure funding from other sources.

“The benefits of community mediation are clearly evident, with almost 90 per cent of all cases that reach mediation resulting in a successful outcome. At the current time, that figure stands at 100 per cent, and we have helped more than 500 people over the last ten years.

“Mediationplus deeply values the project and the volunteers who have provided such an excellent service within the local community.”