A groundbreaking scheme targeting obese older people has come under threat despite winning a national award last week.

Kingston Age Concern was crowned winner of the care of older people category at the 2011 Guardian Public Services Award for its scheme Fit as a Fiddle, but funding will come to an end next April.

Kingston Council has been ruled out as a potential funder and Kingston Age Concern is now looking to charitable trusts for help.

Business manager Anne Bren said: “We don’t know what we’re going to do but we have another four or five months to work on this.

“Otherwise there will be a lot of people who will be disappointed.

“We have been developing this programme for five years now so I really do hope we are successful by next spring.”

The scheme, which targets obese older people with health problems from ethnic minorities or areas of social deprivation, was originally funded by the Big Lottery when it launched in 2009.

Fit as a Fiddle participants are given classes in Nordic walking, line dancing, Bollywood dancing and body balance, which helps to maintain stability for those prone to falls.

The programme was initially given the go-ahead after a Sports England survey found obesity to be a growing problem in Kingston.

So far more than 70 per cent of the 166 participants involved have lost weight.

Age Concern has also given out small grants to groups of participants wishing to continue their active lifestyle after the initial free six-week scheme.

Mrs Bren said: "There is no other programme like this which specifically targets older people at a time when the cost of hospital beds and residential care is increasing.

"Older people do need a bit of encouragement and they feel a lot more comfortable working alongside people with the same ability as them.

"Some of these people have long term conditions such as arthritis, but it’s all about engaging them and building camaraderie. It’s important to have preventative services which keep people well."