Charity due to close over 'cost of giving crisis'

Jane Evans said the charity would be closing on 31 March

A charity that has been caring for families for more than three decades is to close, due to a lack of funding.

West Norfolk Carers has been supporting unpaid family carers in Norfolk, and has more than 4,000 people on its books.

Nine members of staff will lose their jobs when the charity closes its doors in March.

Jane Evans, chief executive, said: "We will leave a hole in the infrastructure of support."

The charity has been operating for 31 years but lost its funding from Norfolk County Council.

"It's a series of unfortunate events, the charity has not had core funding since 2017 and really that core funding pays the rent, the bills, all those back office costs that nobody notices and thinks about," Ms Evans said.

In the current climate she says finding and applying for grants is becoming "harder", with core funding disappearing.

"We talk a lot about the national cost of living crisis, we in the charity world sector are working with a 'cost of giving crisis' almost, because people have less money there's less to donate," she said.

'Infrastructure of support'

Marion Coleman, chair of trustees at West Norfolk Carers, said: "It’s such a shame. We have struggled for a while to manage to keep going. I decided we couldn’t continue any longer."

Ms Coleman said she hoped to see some help arranged for the people who had been depending on the charity's services, especially young carers.

Ms Evans says the charity will leave a hole in the "infrastructure of support".

Out of the 4,000 carers on the charity's books, 300 are children.

Ms Evans says a new service will be introduced to support children and their families, but hopes she can find a way to support them and their needs.

The charity will close its doors on 31 March and carers will be pointed towards services that may be able to help them and their families.