A social care charity in Essex has announced plans to close this week after operating for more than 20 years.
Southend Carers, which registered with the Charity Commission in 2002, will close permanently tomorrow after experiencing “severe and ongoing financial challenges”, which the charity said “have made it impossible to continue our operations”.
Chair Daryl King said in a statement last week: “We want to assure you that we have exhausted all possible options to avoid this outcome.
“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we have been unable to secure the necessary funding to continue operations.”
£145,000 deficit
In the year to March 2023, the charity’s expenditure (£225,000) was almost three times its income (£79,200) and it recorded a deficit of £145,000.
Wages and salaries (£140,000) accounted for most of its costs, with eight people employed on average each month.
Its account for that year read: “The services that Southend Carers provides have never before been more critical and crucial than following the Covid pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
“This continues to have significant impact on the organisation finances, as the sharp increase in demand for our services has come at a time when we are experiencing our budgets becoming tighter, access to funding more competitive, a need to enhance capacity and an ongoing decline in public donations.
“Our capacity to fundraise and engage in promotional activities continued to be affected during this period. However, Southend Carers continues to specifically focus on a clear objective of raising unrestricted funds to support future core expectations.”
The charity’s funders included BBC Children in Need, Headley Trust and Independent Age.
It had £7,755 in unrestricted funds on 31 March 2023.
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