THE chief executive of a pioneering West Devon centre aimed at rehabilitating young offenders visited Downing Street last week in an attempt to plug a huge gap in its funding budget.

Trevor Philpott, of Highampton-based C-FAR, said he felt ?very encouraged and quietly confident? following the meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair?s senior policy advisor.

Lt Col Philpott said: ?The meeting extended longer than anticipated and although the Prime Minister did not attend, the very fact that he had written to C-FAR and had expressed an interest is very heartening.?

C-FAR has received just £160,000 from the Criminal Justice System. The project is looking for £700,000 to enable its operations to continue for the coming year ? with estimated savings to the Criminal Justice System of around £5-million.

Lt Col Philpott said C-FAR had demonstrated that its programmes work ? current re-conviction rates are fewer than 35%.

He said the money C-FAR was seeking was equivalent to the cost of 4.3 persistent offenders committing crime and being returned to custody ? in comparison, 84 ex-offenders could enter the Life Change Programme pioneered by C-FAR for 12 months ? and not re-offend.

Young offenders who are accepted by C-FAR leave custody at the end of their sentence to attend an intensive residential programme at Highampton. They receive training in basic life skills and undergo courses in personal and character development before leaving the centre, when they apply for jobs or embark on further education programmes, supported by mentors.

A spokeswoman for C-FAR said: ?The evidence is very clear ? custody by itself and punishment by itself do not work.

?Unless we, as a society, address the fundamental issues and fundamental human needs associated with persistent offenders, the likelihood of them re-offending stands at 75%.?

Justin Russell, senior policy advisor at Downing Street, said ?many important issues had been raised? and that he was ?very interested in what C-FAR had to say?.

He said the brief would remain with him and would be given serious consideration.