A CORBRIGE charity will stop its free-of-charge respite care offering.
The Charlotte Straker Project service was launched in 2017 as a short-term, charity-funded service for eligible individuals in the local area.
Economic pressures now mean the service will now close; respite beds will still be available but will cost.
Berenice Groves, chair of trustees, explained: “It’s no exaggeration to say that the whole Charlotte Straker team is distraught that we must close our free-of-charge respite care bed service at the end of March 2023.
"The cost-of-living crisis means that, like many charities, we have experienced a severe reduction in the amount of funding and donations that have previously supported this facility. This has been exacerbated by the rise in the cost of actual care, Covid precautions and a sharp increase in recruitment costs.
"The respite care bed costs £57,000 per year alone and raising that income is, unfortunately, unattainable in the current economic climate.”
The Charlotte Straker Project also operates a 32-bed care home, providing residential and nursing care for the local community.
Berenice added: “As a not-for-profit care home, any surplus income is reinvested for the benefit of our residents. So, instead of a free respite care room, we will continue to concentrate on helping residents stay in Charlotte Straker House by funding local authority fee shortfalls.
"Many of our residents have lived and worked in the area all their lives and want to live near their family but are unable to afford care home fees without charitable support.”
"We have been embedded into the Corbridge community since 1916 and supporting older people is at the heart of everything we do. Our charity provides the very best in residential and nursing care to the elderly.
"We hope that our supporters understand the difficult decision that we’ve had to make and will continue to aid us in our vital work.
"We are hoping that this is a temporary closure and depending on future support, we are committed to opening our respite care facility at a future date.”
Donations can be made at:https://charlottestraker.org.uk/donate or via phone on 01434 633 999
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here