THE leader of Saltash youth music project Livewire says he will do 'everything in his power' to keep the centre open in the face of the withdrawal of funding for its paid staff. After more than 20 years as a youth worker for Cornwall Council, Andy Rance has resigned his post in protest at 'despicable' cuts in youth provision. He and his wife Julie, who has worked at Livewire for 17 years, have vowed to continue in their positions but now as volunteers. He says the project faces the removal of 100 per cent of its funding – meaning the loss of all its paid staff. 'I am absolutely not going to let anything shut this place down,' said Mr Rance. 'That's not about me or the other workers – it's about the young people we work with. I took the decision to resign because I believe Cornwall Council has made a very serious mistake in how it has been pulling resources from the youth service. 'It's not just about Livewire. This is my strongest form of protest.' However, Cornwall Council says that it has never provided direct funding to Livewire, and that in the wake of Government cuts, its priority is to deploy youth workers to the most vulnerable people. The council says that it needs to ensure that resources are spread equally across South East Cornwall – and that the majority of Livewire's users come from Plymouth. Responding to this, Livewire trustee David Wood said: 'The majority of people come from Saltash, Callington, Liskeard and other areas of South East Cornwall. We do have a large intake from Plymouth and West Devon – this is because we are such a popular club.' An urgent fundraising campaign has begun at Livewire, with an evening at Antony House, near Torpoint, raising more than £10,000. There has been an outpouring of support on the project's Facebook page, with current and former users of the centre posting photographs of themselves holding poignant handwritten placards. Town councillor Sue Hooper said of Livewire: 'Its support has resulted in not only a life-changing, but live-saving environment for some individual members.'