HELP to the children of impoverished families in the county has been hit by cuts to Wiltshire Children's Fund. Staff at the fund, led by the children's charity Barnardo's, have been left reeling by cuts to the government-sponsored scheme.

The Wiltshire fund will have to find cuts in its budgets of £200,000 in the financial year 2004/05, reducing its budget from almost £1 million to £777,638 and possibly falling to £533,000 the following year.

Christine Robinson, programme manager for Wiltshire Children's Fund, said: "We should have been considering new bids for funding at this time. Instead we are having to make decisions about cuts."

She added: "The development of the Children's Fund has been an important initiative in Wiltshire. This is because it is the first time that a major funding scheme aimed at local communities has had at its heart the wishes of the children. Government commitments to this fund being shaped by children and young people were warmly welcomed when it was launched and this has been key to the nature of the fund."

The news has marred plans to celebrate the work of local services in Wiltshire at an anniversary event at Longleat tomorrow (Friday), but staff are determined there will still be an opportunity to celebrate what has been achieved so far by children and young people.