A FINAL showdown meeting to find a funding solution to save Accrington's threatened community wardens will be held next week.

Hyndburn Council will be joined on Monday morning by organisations including Lancashire County Council, the police and the fire service, which have all been asked to find money in their budgets to help pay for the wardens in 2005/06.

But council leader, Coun Peter Britcliffe, said he did not hold out much hope that those who had been asked for cash would come up with a contribution.

He said: "Hyndburn Borough Council has said it will put in its share of the money.

"We are also looking at finding money from Neighbourhood Renewal Fund projects that may have underspent.

"But unless other organisations are prepared to play their part, I am not optimistic."

He added: "I hope pressure from myself and the MP will lead to a change of heart by these other organisations - it is a last ditch attempt to resolve the funding issue."

At a meeting of the Church and Milnshaw Area Council this week, community wardens Maria Quinn and Stacey Reilly urged members and local residents to support the campaign to save their roles.

Maria said: "We don't have the funding at the moment to continue our service.

"We feel very strongly about it because we are very dedicated to what we do.

"The service has been running for three years and we have forged many links with all areas of the community.

"We are very highly trained and it would be terrible if all this was lost.

"There are 12 of us at the moment and half of us will have to leave in March 2005 if no funding is found. Then the following year the rest of us will be disappearing."

Speaking at the meeting, Labour group leader Coun Jean Battle said: "I am fully behind the wardens - I think they do a wonderful job."

But she criticised council chiefs for not finding a way of continuing the wardens' funding earlier.