Coronavirus: 'Optimism waning' as charities fight cash shortage

Across Northern Ireland, many charities are struggling to provide their services amid the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic, along with the lockdown and social-distancing measures which accompanied it, have left many businesses struggling to make ends meet.

Charities have also been hit hard, with many unable to run their usual fundraising activities.

BBC News NI spoke to some in the sector about what the future holds as the pandemic continues.

'It went on and on'

"We all thought when this started in March that it would be a few weeks," said Rachel McCoubrey.

"And then it went on, and we were saying, 'maybe not May, but June, and if not then, surely July or August' - and we find ourselves now still asking, when is this going away?"

Rachel was the finance manager with Action MS, a charity which last week announced it would be closing after 44 years of operation.

"We were really holding out, and hoping that walks would start again with the new school year, but that just hasn't happened."

The closure of Action MS was announced this week by chief executive Ann Walker (left) and chairwoman Judith Preston

While Action MS is among the first to announce its closure, many charities across Northern Ireland are struggling and worried for their futures.

Since March, many have seen their income from donations cut to a fraction of what they would have expected - with mainstays like coffee mornings, sponsored walks and runs all cancelled.

The financial pain being felt in the sector is compounded by the government's furlough scheme, which had supported many workers, having come to an end.

In August, Nicva, the representative body for charities in Northern Ireland, asked 1,000 charities how they had been impacted by the pandemic.

Nearly a third (31%) of organisations said they expected their income to fall by between 51% and 75% in the next six months - with 4.3% saying they feared their organisation might not survive.

Nearly two-thirds said they expected their capacity to deliver services to fall.

'Optimism is waning'

Neil Johnston is a policy manager with Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke. He says the charity is facing financial pressure at the same time that it needs to ramp up its services.

Some staff have already been made redundant from a health check service it ran.

Its respiratory service, where the group helps people in recovery who are referred to them by a heath trust, has seen an increase in demand due to the impact of Covid-19.

It has even launched a support group for people who have had the virus.

"We are obviously hoping that things will turn around, but I would think initial optimism is waning," said Mr Johnston.

"We employ staff to deliver that service, but we can't do that if we don't have the money to pay their salaries."

Since the start of the pandemic, the group has seen its income cut by half, a figure Neil said would register in the "hundreds of thousands".

He said there was a real possibility the charity would have to further curtail their services and that some staff had already been made redundant.

Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke is feeling the pressure at a time when it is being called on the provide additional services

"Christmas is obviously normally a big fundraising time for us, but everyone is under a lot of pressure, and while I'm not a fundraising expert - I can't see how it is going to be a good year for us."

'We are limping along'

Shopmobility is a charity which provides free mobility scooter hire to people in locations across Northern Ireland.

Director Julie Guilar said: "At the minute, we are limping along, we are trying to open our service everywhere."

She emphasised the charity is lucky to have core funding from the Department of Infrastructure - but the money does not cover all the charity's running costs.

Over the summer, it saw its fundraising income almost completely wiped out, when no events could be held.

There was also no income from longer-term scooter rentals - something associated with people taking holidays, or tourists accessing the service.

"This service is about making someone independent, where as before they were stuck inside," said Ms Guilar.

The Shopmobility service lost all its income from events and scooter hire over the summer, says director Julie Guilar

"They get a mobility scooter and are able to go around and shop themselves.

"I am very passionate about that - it is a cliché, but when you see someone who has been down and stuck in the house, getting out even after a number of years - that's amazing.

"The feedback that's coming to us, people are so happy to have that independence, especially after being in lockdown for three or four months."

A spokesperson for the Department for Communities told BBC News NI: "500 successful charities received funding awards of up to £75,000 through the department's Covid-19 Charities Fund, including Action MS. In total £8.8m was distributed.

"The minister has asked officials to identify ongoing financial challenges within the sector and bring forward options so that she can consider how to best address these."