THE manager of a mental health centre in Blackburn claims its future is hanging in the balance -- just days before a brand new drop-in centre is due to open nearby.

Eric Green, project co-ordinator at the Mind Centre on Regent Street, has spent the past 27 years working alongside volunteers at Blackburn and District Association for Mental Health to raise £100,000 for a permanent centre.

The new centre, which has not yet been officially opened, is situated behind the charity's present base, which is in a rented building.

But Eric says that the new centre may now never open, the old Mind centre may have to close and workers -- including himself -- will be left jobless, after funding was withdrawn by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Eric said: "The funding was stopped in August and we have used up our reserves in wages.

"We can't even afford to finish off the new building.

"We have two full time and three part-time staff and there is no way we can raise the money we need through our own fundraising events, such as coffee mornings.

"The people who use this centre on a regular basis are very upset."

Council bosses say they withdrew funding last month after the centre failed to answer a number of concerns in a review of mental health services in the borough.

Mum-of-four Collette Duckett, 36, of Leicester Road, Whitebirk, has been using the centre since she was 16.

She said: "Without this centre I would not be half the person I was and I believe I would be six feet under.

" I can't bear the thought of losing it.

" The staff are really great and Eric is such a special man that he is even godfather to my children."

Dorothy Greenwood, 73, of New Barn Court, Blackburn, has been using the centre since 1984.

She said: "Without this service the people who come here would be on the streets.

"I don't know what I will do if the centre closes."

Director of Social Services at the council, Stephen Sloss, said his department has paid for provision of mental health day services for citizens from the borough in recent years.

"To ensure that the council provided the best possible service in 2001, we carried out a review of all day services provided for people with mental health problems.

"Following the results of that review there were concerns about user involvement in planning services, as agreed in the contract, and we also asked the Centre to address a number of issues around modernising services to meet national standards.

"Unfortunately, they were unable to do this satisfactorily.

"At this stage we gave notice that we intended to withdraw, as agreed in the contract and at the time we withdrew the funding the trustees indicated that they were in a position to carry on without payment from the council.

"Should the Mind Centre be in a position to bid to provide services in the future, we would be happy to consider their proposals alongside those of other suppliers."

A statement from the trustees of Blackburn and District Association for Mental Health, says: "We are pretty much in the dark about what is happening and at the moment are waiting for more information from social services.

"However, it would be difficult to continue without the funding.

"We are hoping that things will move quickly, but it really is a case of pennies from heaven."