A COMMUNITY organisation for the Conway Fields and Ten Acres communities will form a new team of trustees after it was felt the current members could not devote the necessary time to their duties.

Alcester Opportunities was established in 2002 as a company based at the Pavilion in Conway Fields, with the objective of providing training opportunities and better access to services as well as clubs and community groups.

At a recent meeting of the trustees, it was agreed a new team was needed to take the organisation, now a registered charity, forward.

A group of eight volunteers have offered to take over from the present board of only four volunteers.

Welcoming the new proposals, chairman Lorraine Mansfield said: "The small team of current trustees, all of whom have other significant responsibilities in other charities and voluntary organisations in the town, are simply unable to devote the necessary time to develop the centre."

She said that the new, larger group will be in a better position to take the charity forward.

Alcester Town Council originally provided the former sports pavilion at a peppercorn rent and the group received funding from the South Warwickshire Together Partnership's Promoting Inclusion and Enterprise initiative.

The initiative is a package of projects to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged people in South Warwickshire, until 2005.

Once that ran out, however, the company faced severe financial problems. In order to survive, the trustees were forced to make significant savings and the group became a volunteer-led organisation.

"Although very successful steps have been made in rebuilding and stabilising the finances of the charity, the trustees have recently been concerned much greater involvement is now needed by the local community to develop the centre and realise its true potential," added Mrs Mansfield.

She thanked the present trustees and volunteers for their efforts over the past year and wished trustee Richard Major, who will arrange a meeting where the new team will be appointed, success for the future.