A CHARITY has accused Radio Clyde of being "shabby and irresponsible" for abandoning it after almost three decades of support.

Volunteering charity Community Service Volunteers (CSV) hit out after receiving the news that Clyde Action - a partnership between CSV, Radio Clyde and the Hunter Foundation - will cease at the end of this month following Radio Clyde's acquisition by Bauer Radio.

However, Ewan Hunter, chief executive of the Hunter Foundation, said CSV's failure to provide accounts to the charities regulator had led to the fall out.

John Pulford, the chairman of CSV, said: "CSV's Clyde Action has served Radio Clyde's listeners and the children of Glasgow for 29 years. As a not-for-profit charity CSV has delivered outstanding value for money. Their decision to destroy this community resource without taking responsibility for the consequences is shabby and irresponsible."

CSV worked with Radio Clyde to raise money, distributed through the Cash for Kids Trust, for projects supporting disadvantaged children across the west of Scotland.

Radio Clyde's "social action broadcasting", which was undertaken by Clyde Action, will now be staffed and managed by Bauer Radio Charities.

Hunter, a trustee of Cash for Kids and chief executive of the Hunter Foundation, said CSV was being let go because last October it failed to file accounts to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and was subsequently named and shamed in the media.

He said: "Several months ago, CSV failed to lodge all of our accounts with OSCR, which caused quite considerable embarrassment to the charity. We reviewed what services CSV were delivering and decided we could deliver them far more cost-effectively ourselves.

"They CSV see this as an opportunity to create negative publicity for Cash for Kids and Clyde Action, and good luck to them. Our only focus in life is to make a real difference to young people's lives, and if they would like to criticise us for that they are more than welcome to."

In May, Sir Tom Hunter, founder of the Hunter Foundation, pledged £4 million over the next 10 years to Bauer Radio Charities in a move that saw all of their charities consolidated under the Cash for Kids brand.

Ewan Hunter, who is not related to Sir Tom, said they wanted to develop the radio alternative to Children in Need.

However, those charities which depend on Clyde Action were furious to hear that Paul Cooney, regional managing director of Bauer Radio, had written to CSV last Thursday to confirm they would no longer be in operation.

Maureen Ferrie is the founder and volunteer manager of the Greater Easterhouse Supporting Hands project in Glasgow, which provides activities for more than 400 people with physical and learning disabilities.

She said: "Clyde Action has a big impact on local projects, and thanks to the money they raise we are able to give Christmas presents to all the children we support. Without Clyde Action it is going to be a bleak Christmas for ourselves and many other projects around Glasgow."

Connie Postlethwaite, a fundraiser for the Haven, a centre in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, which provides support to families with life-limiting illnesses, said: "Without Clyde Action far fewer people would get the opportunity to hear about our important work helping people develop the skills and confidence to cope with the effects of their illness."

Alasdair Hutton, a CSV trustee, said: "It is vital Bauer recognises its responsibilities to the community which has loyally supported Radio Clyde for a generation and the staff who have helped raise millions for Cash for Kids."

A spokesman for Bauer Radio said: "Cash for Kids goes from strength to strength as the charity supported by the whole of the Bauer Radio Network in association with the Hunter Foundation.

"It will continue to work tirelessly to raise money for the children of Glasgow, the west of Scotland and across the UK, with the aim of raising a total of £10m by 2010.

"We'd like to thank everyone at CSV for their efforts, but we need to point out that at no point were they employees of Radio Clyde, and CSV has been and remains responsible for its staff's terms of employment."