Coronavirus 'financial losses' causesAge UK Suffolk to fold

Age UK Suffolk will cease to offer its services on July 27

A charity that supports elderly people will close with the loss of 145 jobs because of "significant financial losses due to the coronavirus crisis".

Age UK Suffolk offers home help, befriending and advice services to older people across the county.

These cost £2m a year to run, but a drop in fundraising and the cancellation of paid services means it is unable to raise the funds needed.

It will cease to offer its services on 27 July.

Head of fundraising and marketing Jo Reeder described it as "desperately, desperately sad news".

"We support people that in normal times could and would be feeling incredibly lonely and isolated and we have been doing extra work during the lockdown with welfare calls and providing extra support," she said.

"But we had to stop our paid-for services, including our dementia day centre in Sudbury and our home-help services, and that, coupled with a lack of fundraising, has brought us to this decision."

Age UK Suffolk services in 2019

• 243 volunteers provided 36,700 hours of support

• 651 clients received 35,357 hours of home help

• 327 lonely older people supported through the befriending scheme

• 4,836 received information and advice over the telephone

Source: Age UK Suffolk

The charity, which receives no statutory support, had received "substantial" financial support from the national charity Age UK since 2017.

But "the UK's economy is in a very different state now.... compounded by significant financial losses due to the coronavirus crisis," said Miss Reeder.

Chair of trustees Anthony Sheppard thanked staff and volunteers, saying: "These are unprecedented times and we will be working as hard as we can to ensure that older people know where they can turn to for support."

Beccy Hopfensperger, Suffolk County Council's Conservative cabinet member for adult care, said the news was "a complete surprise" and "a range of other local support and advice services remain in place".