The organisation provides social support to former miners

Former miners in the north-east of England and Cumbria may have charitable benefits cut because a welfare organisation faces cash problems.

The Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO) provides cash help to ex-pitmen who are in need of assistance.

It provides for those in ill health or fallen on hard times, but could now itself face a shortfall in income of up to �1m a year.

The drop in income has come with an ending of contributions from privatised coal firms ended two years ago.

CISWO has been using its reserves but is now facing cuts unless the Government offers more assistance.

As well as social work, the charity has a programme to upgrade and rebuild miners' welfare centres.

'Social fabric'

Now the charity is warning that unless the government helps out, it will have to lay off 30 of its national staff of 70.

Those made redundant would include social visitors in the North, and staff at the organisation's Gateshead office on Tyneside.

Vincent Clements, CISWO operations manager in the North East and Cumbria, said: "We are the social welfare fabric of what was the coal industry. The support we are able to give through our services is tremendous.

"We have been providing our service for many years and it will be a great shame if there has to be cutbacks."

Coal privatisation

Recent CISWO projects have included helping to build new miners' welfare halls in Choppington and Nelson, near Cramlington, in Northumberland.

More than �800,000 was raised for the new Miners' Welfare Hall, in Choppington, after the old one was damaged by arsonists in 1996. Last November the �300,000 centre in Nelson opened.

The government has offered �200, 000 a year for the next three years, which CISWO says is not enough.

CISWO began in 1952 and became a charity in 1995 after British Coal was privatised.