A COMMUNITY project only intended to last for 12 months is going from strength to strength 25 years later.
Athersley Cares was set up to meet the needs of the local community and is doing that now more than ever.
It started with a parent and toddler group, a teenage parent support group, and worked with volunteers to establish the Athersley Credit Union and Food Cooperative, all starting in St Helen's Church Hall.
Over the years funding has been found from a variety of sources and now Athersley Cares has five staff and up to 200 people a week aged from eight to more than 80 are involved.
Its Motorskills project is currently providing motor vehicle training to young people and adults.
Athersley Cares is also in the early stages of supporting a group of volunteers who will be starting a weekly drop-in 'get-together' for older people who feel isolated.
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle newspaper, dated October 17. **
