A specialised support programme for female asylum seekers will be resurrected after a £120,000 Comic Relief grant.

Rochdale Law Centre was forced to close the project in March after a previous three-year grant came to an end. The service had offered legal advice to more than 200 people claiming asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK.

The future of the scheme has now been assured for a further three years after the confirmation of the money from April 2012.

Support worker Lauren Butler said: ‘In our work with refugees in Rochdale, we have found that there is a great need for specialised assistance around cases of trafficking, female genital mutilation, rape, and other human rights abuses experienced by women refugees.

‘In the context of cuts to legal aid and other vital support services to refugees, we are pleased that we can offer this service to some of the most vulnerable people in Rochdale and the Greater Manchester area.’

In addition to casework, the centre offers practical support such as referrals to mental health services, support groups, medical care, domestic violence services, housing and welfare.

Clients have been accompanied to appointments in Croydon and training provided for agencies in immigration and asylum law.

In 2010, the centre organised a regional conference on domestic violence and immigration law, which was attended by education professionals, UK Border Agency staff, social workers, CAB advisers, NHS staff, law students, community groups, and housing professionals.