AN AYRSHIRE charity which has helped thousand s in need want to raise funds to support families who are struggling.

Ayrshire Women’s Hub deal with critical situations on a daily basis and recently supported one woman who was left with £6 to last her until January due to an issue with Universal Credit .

Founder Angie-Leigh McPike now wants a kitty of funds to continue to help families on the brink of going hungry or being unable to heat their homes.

She hopes to rais e £3,000 through The Ayrshire Community Fund to allow families instant access in the event of an emergency.

Angi e told the Advertiser : “The idea behind this is crisis intervention . People might have access to a food bank, but they can’t cook becaus e there’s no back up gas or electricity.

“People would come to us in situations where they have no food or can’t afford their rent . There are some whose kids haven’t had a warm bath in six weeks. “

"We’re not funded in any way anything we do we have to rely on donations. Having a fund that is available allows us to help.

"We had three families before Christmas who had problems with Universal Credit . One woman had three young children and was left with £6 to get through to the end of the year . “

"If we had the funds available that would get her through Christmas until she received her Universal Credit . “

"She had done nothing wrong with an error in her wages she had been paid a day early so it looked like she had two wages but she didn’t . “Whole families are affected by it , these are working families, women who are studying, who are trying to better themselves .

"It’s a huge crisis, but if we were to work together if every other avenue falls down , it would be good to have that we can turn around and say we will sort everything out. “

The fund was set up by Angie on December, 23 and has already raised £600. You can donate funds here.