SOVA, the volunteer service which helps teach basic educational skills to inmates of Feltham Young Offenders Institute, was to close down at the end of March due to a lack of funding, but appears to have had a last minute reprieve after Feltham YOI agreed to continue the programme under their own auspices.

The charity, which has been running at Feltham Prison for the last ten years will finish its operation there on March 31, because of lack of funds and much to the dismay of staff.

However, this week the prison service announced that they would be continuing the work carried out by SOVA volunteers and administrative staff, but under their own management.

A prison service spokesperson said: "SOVA announced at the beginning of March that they were unable to attract sufficient funding to continue their work at Feltham Young Offenders Institute. Feltham YOI values their work at the prison so highly that they have made the decision to incorporate the service into their education contract."

They added: "Feltham will be re-employing the administrative staff via their educational contract and volunteers will still be working at the prison but not under the aegis of SOVA. SOVA staff are understood to be happy with the new arrangements."

However, a spokeswoman for SOVA refused to comment on the reasons why funding could not be attained to keep the project going under their own auspices, nor would they state their reaction to the news that Feltham YOI would be keeping the programme going under its own management.

Feltham and Heston's MP, Alan Keen, commented: "I am pleased that this service will not be lost and am happy to work with SOVA to help them with their funding should they approach me but our main priority is that the service will be continuing and I am pleased that Feltham YOI will be able to maintain that service for its inmates."

Liberal Democrat, Dee Doocey, who recently spent time researching the problems and issues at the prison, stated: "SOVA do absolutely superb work. It is critical to do everything we can to stop people re-offending. Figures show 80 per cent of them will re-offend within two years of being released."

She added: "Surely everything we can do to reduce that number must be helpful and I feel education is critical and the only way forward. The figures I've read show ex offenders with poor skills are excluded from 96 per cent of jobs - if this is the case it limits their options and we need to do everything possible to ensure these people are given the chance to go straight."

SOVA was launched in 1975 and aims to increase the effective involvement of local communities in crime reduction, rehabilitation of offenders and community safety.

It currently operates over 60 projects throughout England and Wales, employs 250 staff and has over 2,000 volunteers working with over 10,000 participants.