A charity that has supported thousands of people in Scotland with HIV for almost 30 years has announced its closure.
HIV Scotland issued a statement on Friday which said due to a number of significant challenges, the board has taken the decision to wind-up the charity.
The charity said it has been operating within a complex and challenging environment, “which has included significant changes in governance”, with the recruitment of a new chair and board and an entirely new management and staff team within the last two years.
“While this brought some stability to the charity, there have been some recent changes within the organisation’s governance which have caused concern. This has led to the chair and a significant number of the board resigning from their positions.”
HIV Scotland added that ongoing issues which are faced by the charity include the “precarious funding climate” and maintaining the support of external stakeholders.
“The remaining board members were unable to identify a unifying solution that would allow the charity to resume functionality. The board will therefore work with staff and stakeholders as the charity is wound-down,” reads the statement.
The statement added: “We are proud of our achievements and legacy of work to improve the lives of those living with, or at risk of HIV, as we all look toward a Scotland where we can eliminate HIV transmission by 2030.”
In 2021, the Information Commissioner’s Office fined HIV Scotland £10,000 after the charity sent a bulk email that identified recipients to each other.
The charity’s latest set of accounts have yet to be filed with the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and were due by 31 December 2022.
It had an income of £429,000 in the year to March 2021, according to its most recently-filed accounts.
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