THE Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation fears it will be forced to begin the process of closing in under two weeks amid uncertainty over funding.

The charity – which is based at the Peace Centre, off Cromwell Avenue – promotes peace and non-violent conflict resolution.

It was set up after the deaths of 12-year-old Tim Parry and three-year-old Johnathan Ball following the IRA bombing in Warrington town centre on March 20 1993 – 27 years ago today.

But with funding in place until March 31, concerns are mounting over its future.

If it had to close, the Peace Centre would continue operating, but the foundation and its crucial work with survivors of terrorism would have to end.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Government will do ‘everything we can’ to ensure the funding remains in place during Prime Minister’s Questions earlier this month.

It came after Warrington South Tory MP Andy Carter raised the issue with him.

Today’s scheduled commemoration of the 27th anniversary of the Warrington bombing was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Nick Taylor, chief executive of the Peace Foundation, said: “It is a day when (in normal circumstances) the families, people affected, and the local and regional community (councillors, the mayor, faith leaders, sporting teams) come together to commemorate the bombs that led to the death of 12-year-old Tim Parry, three-year-old Johnathan Ball,  young mother Bronwen Vickers, and seriously injured 54 people as well as affecting over 2,000 people on the street.

“The then Prime Minister, Sir John Major, described the provisional IRA bombing as a pivotal moment during the peace process on our islands.

“It created a civic led reaction that sought reconciliation between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland, and two years later, inspired by Colin and Wendy Parry, the inauguration of the Peace Foundation.

“The charity is 25 years old this year. In 2000, 20-years-ago, they opened the ‘living memorial’ Peace Centre.

“From so much tragedy, hope came, and, in what would be Tim’s 40th birthday year, he, along with Johnathan, have truly created a legacy for hope and peace in our times.

“There will be no ceremony today, but many people will observe their own private moment of reflection and commemoration but they will also celebrate the amazing achievements of the past quarter of a century.

“Colin and Wendy Parry, our founders, will visit the Peace Centre to see the work we are doing to help the NHS emergency effort during the present crisis, they will spend private time with their family, but they are also faced with the fact that their foundation’s funding from Government has not been secured from the 1st April.

“They have received assurances from four members of the cabinet, including the Prime Minister in an answer he gave in the House of Commons on 11th March.

“However, officials and advisers have failed to act. The charity has 11 days until it has to wind down to closure.”

Colin and Wendy have today written to the Prime Minister to ask him to instruct officials to act to secure the work of the Peace Foundation.

In the letter, they thanked him for the ‘very kind comments’ he made about the charity during PMQs.

“When you declared to the House that you ‘commended the work of the Warrington Peace Foundation and that we will do everything we can to ensure the funding continues’, we felt an enormous cloud was lifted off the foundation’s future,” they said.

The pair also stated they believed funding would be found following his comments at PMQs, while highlighting the many messages of support from the PM’s colleagues and the great support from Mr Carter.

They added: “However, subsequent engagements have not received a positive response or confirmation that your commitment will be enacted as a ministerial direction.

“I am writing to you today, in the hope that funds will be released very quickly, as in just 12 days’ time, we will be obliged to issue redundancy notices to our team, and start the wind down of a charity that has been supporting HM Government for 25 years at a time when security, counter-terrorism and community cohesion will be tested like never before.

“Our team now supports 1,500 people affected by all acts of terrorism spanning from the Northern Ireland Troubles through to recent events at home and abroad.

“You may know that my letter is written to you on the 27th anniversary of the IRA bombing in Warrington, which took the lives of our 12-year-old son Tim and three-year-old Johnathan Ball and it is the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Peace Centre.

“It is a challenging day for all of us, particularly my family as this would have been Tim’s 40th birthday year, but we take some comfort of what has been achieved in his and Johnathan’s memory.

“I hope you can act to provide reassurance and enable rapid funding, so our work continues, and Tim and Johnathan’s legacy is secured.”

Mr Carter is monitoring the situation closely.

He said: “I will continue to do everything I can to push this matter with civil servants and advisers.

“I am really pleased with the commitment from the Prime Minister and I am doing everything I can to ensure the Government honours it.”