A COMMUNITY centre in Bere Alston offering training in computer and IT skills has closed because of lack of funding.

Bere District Youth and Community Association, which met at the old telephone exchange in Bere Alston, was formally wound up at a meeting earlier this month.

The former British Telecom telephone exchange was first used as a youth and community centre in 1984, when it was home to the youth club.

After the youth club folded, the building became a computer and information technology outreach training centre supported by Plymouth College of Further Education.

The centre provided computer courses for beginners and the more advanced, including recognised RSA qualifications, word-processing, spreadsheet, database, Sage and desktop publishing. Internet access was also provided at an hourly rate.

Mrs Jean Page, who ran the centre for three years, said: ?It?s a rural area and for people who are unemployed and want to get back into work, the centre was handy for them. It was within walking distance and was a nice place for people to gather.?

She said it was a shame the centre had been forced to close because of lack of funding, as it offered a much-needed service to the village.

Mrs Page said the association had been trying unsuccessfully to obtain funding for the centre for the last two years, but ?nobody wanted to know?.

Over the years, the centre had helped many people to learn new skills, which had proved vital in securing employment, she said.

Mrs Page said the courses were well-attended by villagers as well as people from as far away as Horrabridge, Princetown and Lamerton.

She said her association with the centre went much further back, as she was one of the first students when the old telephone exchange building opened to offer computer skills courses.

At a meeting of the youth and community association committee last month the decision was reluctantly taken that the dissolution of the group would have to take place because of the lack of funding with charity status being cancelled.

Assets of the Bere Alston youth and community centre which will now have to be sold off, include computers and equipment and the building itself.

The centre also provided a meeting place for various organisations, including the Bere Local History Group.