Charity which has helped thousands of unpaid West Norfolk carers is to close

A West Norfolk charity, which has supported thousands of unpaid carers over the past 30 years, is to close at the end of the month.West Norfolk Carers (WNC), which was saved from closure this time last year, has found itself in the same position again due to insufficient core funding.The charity was saved last year in an 11th-hour rescue bid spearheaded by King’s Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital when a partnership was formed and the charity moved to the hospital site.

However, the continuing difficult funding climate means many charities are struggling to maintain their vital services and are having to rely on the goodwill of communities.Jane Evans, WNC’s chief executive officer, said the closure is “no one’s fault’ and is “emblematic of the circumstances” voluntary sector organisations find themselves in.She said: “Some charities do receive funding from the government, and others do not, so we have to generate that funding. “At one time, we could have submitted a funding application and been certain to be successful. With changes in the sector, and with more VSCO’s (voluntary and community sector organisation’s) chasing a diminishing pot of money, it becomes ever more of a challenge to secure much-needed funding.“A charity only needs a few declined applications, before the pressure begins to make itself felt. Prolonged underfunding means that eventually the charity will need to assess their options and whether or not it is financially safe to carry on. “Unfortunately, that is the position for WNC. WNC has not received funding from government sources for some years.”The closure will mean the loss of 10 jobs and 20 volunteers who have all been praised for their dedication. While the closure is pending the charity is reaching out to other agencies in the hope they can step in to help mitigate the loss of its vital service.A statement from the charity’s trustees said: “Since its inception in January 1994, WNC has been a vital source of support for the community, helping some of the most vulnerable individuals in their time of need. “Over the course of 31 years, the charity has supported over 75,000 unpaid family carers.“In April of last year, WNC faced a similar crisis, but we were fortunate to enter into a service agreement with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn.“This partnership enabled us to continue operations, and we were grateful to QEH for recognising the essential role WNC played in supporting patients and their family carers, particularly in facilitating hospital discharge and preventing readmissions.“WNC’s efforts have helped reduce delays in hospital discharges, which costs the NHS approximately £500 per day per unavailable bed. “Between April and December 2024, our team, harnessing decades of experience and a strong network of connections, successfully assisted in preventing a significant number of delayed discharge incidents at the QEH.“As we approach the closure, WNC is reaching out to other agencies in an attempt to mitigate the impact this will have on our service users. We will provide further updates as necessary.“The trustees of WNC would like to take this opportunity to recognise the professionalism, dedication, and resilience of Jane Evans, our chief executive officer, and her team.“Without their hard work and commitment, WNC would not have been able to improve the lives of so many individuals facing crisis in our community. We thank them for their unwavering service and wish them, and their families, all the best in the future.” In response to news of the closure, Alice Webster, the hospital’s chief executive, said: “A year ago the QEH stepped in to support West Norfolk Carers to continue their charity in our area, for a 12-month period.“It is with sadness that its trustees have informed us of the difficult decision to ‘close their doors’ at the end of this month. I would like to put on record, on behalf of patients and staff at the QEH, our thanks for all that they have done.”Ms Evans thanked the hospital for its support saying: “The QEH have been our strong ally and have worked with us to ensure that our work has been successful, and indeed, have offered us a continued base to work from in terms of office space etc.“And we are very grateful. Funding is tight, charitable giving is down, grant-giving bodies are spending up, and the voluntary sector as whole, not just WNC is struggling to maintain services. “Whilst we are all saddened at this news, we are very proud of our work and the legacy we leave, and thank the QEH for their ongoing support.”Families supported by the charity took to social media and said it was “heartbreaking” to hear the news and they said how the charity had changed their lives.Supporters said it was “terribly sad news” and “so wrong”.