THE company which provides three quarters of the funding for a shopmobility scheme has pulled out of the charity after receivers were called in.

Ashdale Healthcare Limited's 200 staff have been made redundant after a long history of trading losses.

The firm is the major contributor to Accrington Shopmobility scheme, which which provides free use of motorised scooters and wheelchairs to disabled shoppers.

The West Yorkshire based firm had agreed to pay £3 for every £1 granted to Shopmobility by the town centre single regeneration board. This totalled around £75,000 over three years.

Now the charity, on Whalley Road, faces an uncertain future. Accrington Shopmobility moved into its present premises in March 2000 with a grant of more than £24,000 from the town centre single regeneration board and Ashdales leased offices from Shopmobility officials.

This office space was occupied by two members of staff including a salesman who promoted the company's disability aids .

In return Ashdales provided equipment for the charity to lend to members for a small donation. The company has already removed some of this equipment and Shopmobility officials are battling to recoup some of the money they are owed.

Richard Day, Shopmobility chairman, has also held a meeting with Hyndburn Borough Council and asked for £1,500 to tide them over until a long term solution can be found.

He said: "We are not going to close. We are now in negotiations with a few new companies to take over.

"We are hoping for a grant from the Council and are going for lottery funding as well."

Richard's wife Pat who also helps with the charity said: "Since we opened in April last year shoppers using the service have brought in more than £130,000 in revenue to the town centre.

"In excess of 50 people with mobility restrictions use the equipment each week.

"Without this there would be nowhere else for them to go.

Stephen Hull, one of the joint administrative receivers from Geoffrey Martin and Co, said: "The closure of the company's operations is the result of the poor trading performance.

"There may be some possibility of resurrecting some of the operations through sales of some, or all, of Ashdale Healthcare's businesses and assets.

"We are talking to a large number of interested parties on this matter."