Families fear loss of lifeline charity over £75k shortfall

2 hours ago

Sophie Maddenin Ledbury

News image — Megan Baker House provides specialist sessions for children and adults

BBC Four children lie on wooden beds topped with blue mats, their parents lean ovver the stretching their legs. A woman with cropped dark hair wearing a Megan Baker House T-shirt is speaking to the children to instruct them in what to do. — Megan Baker House provides specialist sessions for children and adults

Every week, Jan makes the journey from Gloucester to Herefordshire with her husband Colin.

Living with Parkinson's disease and dementia, Colin attends specialist sessions that his wife believes help keep him active and independent.

But the charity providing that support says it faces a £75,000 funding shortfall and must raise the money before the end of the year to avoid cutting services.

"The work they do in the session, we carry on at home to be able to help even more there," Jan said.

"Without Megan Baker... Colin would probably be housebound."

Colin Chick wears a green tshirt and has short white hair and a short beard. He is looking at his wife Jan, who sits to his right, with auburn hair tied in a ponytail. She has dark rectangle-framed glasses and is wearing a red tshirt with a brown long-sleeved top underneath. — Jan says her husband Colin, who has Parkinson's disease and dementia, would likely be housebound without the charity's support

Colin is one of hundreds of people who rely on the specialist support for neurological and motor conditions from Megan Baker House.

Those who come travel from across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Shropshire for sessions.

Now families and staff are backing an urgent appeal to secure the charity's future.

Among them is Simon, whose 11-year-old son Ollie has attended sessions at Megan Baker House for years.

He said the support helped Ollie learn to walk at the age of four and has provided benefits beyond physical therapy.

"It's not just the sessions and what Ollie gets from it, it's that sort of social network as well," he said.

"Without Megan Baker House there's just no services available."

Simon smiles at the camera, he is wearing a grey tshirt, and has dark eyes, a short grey hair and a grey goatee beard. Ollie is an 11-year-old boy whose blonde hair is standing up on end. He wears black, rectangular-framed glasses and is screwing his face into a smile. — Simon says his son Ollie learned to walk at the age of four with support from the charity

The charity, which has been operating from its Ledbury base for 24 years, says it needs to raise £75,000 before the end of the year to continue providing its current level of support.

Sue Mechan, head of client services, said losing services would be "terrible" for those who depend on them.

"They really rely on it," she said.

Development director Lee Gough added: "It would just break my heart to have to cut down the services.

"We can't cut the services, that's all there is to it."

Sue Mechan stands on the left, she has long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, with a full fringe covering her forehead and is wearing red lipstick. She is wearing a blue Megan Baker House polo shirt. Lee has short blonde hair, she is smiling and is also wearing a pink lipstick. She has a long necklace of multi-coloured beeds, and a blue collarless shirt. — Sue Mechan and Lee Gough say they are proud of the charity's work

The appeal comes as charities across the UK face increasing financial pressures.

Philippa Cornish, a director at the Charities Aid Foundation, said organisations were dealing with rising costs, growing demand and fewer funding opportunities.

"Charities are having to do much more with less," she said.

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