One Gloucestershire charity remains positive it can weather the blow to fundraising caused by the coronavirus and continue its work supporting sick children and their families.

Charities have seen income hit having closed shops and seen fundraising events such as the London Marathon, which last year raised £66.4million, postponed until October.

But Nick Broady, pictured, chairman of the Pied Piper Appeal, believes the charity remains in a position to provide valuable support for the Children's Centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

He said: "We are a smaller charity but Pied Piper is well managed. We have funds available at this moment and we are able to support the Children's Centre. The backing is there from business."

The charity is also providing practical help with members of staff helping with administration support for nurses at the centre.

The picture is not as healthy for other charities with warnings of huge falls in income.

Karl Wilding, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, told the BBC: "Based on a mix of survey data and data we collect from charity accounts, we would expect in the next quarter charities to generate income of about £12.5billion.

"We are expecting losses in the next quarter to be in the region of £4billion."

The Charities Aid Foundation has made grants of up to £10,000 available for organisations with an income of less than £1million, but charity bosses and MPs have called on the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to introduce measures to help. Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said an announcement of a help package is imminent.

Robin Osterley, chief executive of the Charity Retail Association, said shops need government help sooner rather than later.

He said: "We have asked for government assistance to ensure that the sector can rebuild after the virus outbreak ends, specifically in the form of grant funding and loans, rents and rates relief and increased funding for the wider charity sector.

"The knock-on effect of impoverishing charities is all the more significant because of the vulnerable nature of charities' beneficiaries.

"If this kind of support is not forthcoming, the government itself will be forced to pick up substantially greater financial costs to support the most vulnerable of our society, many of whom will no doubt in the meantime suffer most acutely."

How Charities Are Coping

Pied Piper Appeal

Helps sick and disabled children in Gloucestershire


www.justgiving.com/piedpipertrust 

Chairman Nick Broady said: "All of our immediate events for the year are postponed, not cancelled. 

"Our biggest one, the Summer Show at Highnam Court, is being moved from June to the autumn and will comprise a classic car feel with Pied Piper Live music events in the evenings. Our annual ball is in October so we've got time.

"We are still fundraising, we've got generous supporters and businesses and the Just Giving page is working."

Although the charity has closed its shop, it is working to help parents of sick children with restrictions meaning only one is able to stay alongside their child at the centre.

The charity is looking to provide laptops and webcams to help with medical assessments from a distance while it has launched a Find A Fiver appeal to raise funds for puzzle and colouring books, as well as toiletries and food. A new microwave and kettle for centre staff was donated by businesses.

The appeal's vice chairman Julie Kent will be staging an online saxophone concert and quiz on Tuesday, April 7 at 7.30pm (justgiving.com/fundraising/jdks-saxy-quiz ).

Sue Ryder

Palliative care and bereavement support, Leckhampton
www.sueryder.org 

Communications and marketing manager Caroline Foran confirmed all fundraising events have been cancelled for the foreseeable future and shops have been closed.

An Emergency Appeal is being launched to help fill the £4million monthly shortfall nationally.

A statement on the Sue Ryder Leckhampton Twitter feed said: "Our Sue Ryder Nurses and healthcare teams have cared for people who need it most for the past 60 years, and we are determined to ensure they continue to do so.

"If we can raise enough money to help us get through the next few weeks, we stand a chance.

"Every pound you give could make the difference to whether we can be there or not. It is that simple.

Gloucestershire Counselling Service

Stroud
www.gloscounselling.org.uk 

Chief executive Emma Griffiths, right, said: "In a matter of days GCS has managed to change its service to provide online and telephone counselling to support those already in counselling and to be able to offer it more widely to the community in this time of crisis.

"Immediate investment of £25,000 was required to purchase IT equipment laptops and phones to remain open. We have had to take the risk that we can secure trust and grant funding to cover it.

This has enabled GCS to remain open and support our clients, protect our income as much as we can and support our communities in financial hardship and mental ill health.

"Unfortunately GCS is losing key funding to support those who are most in need emotionally as well as those in severe financial hardship.

"In order for us to continue supporting the community with affordable counselling, we need to raise £150k by the end of August."

Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity
www.justgiving.com/campaign/GlosCovid19 

An appeal to support NHS staff has raised more than £81,000 in just over a week, including a £50,000 donation from The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust.

The appeal is designed to supply boost boxes filled with refreshments and sleep pods for staff to take a break, both of which have started arriving, as well as wellbeing resources to help fight stress, fold-out beds and transport to work.

Longfield Community Hospice Care
Minchinhampton
www.longfield.org.uk/urgentappeal 

The Longfield COVID-19 Urgent Appeal has been launched to help nurses care for patients who are nearing the end of their life in their own homes, freeing up hospital beds in Gloucestershire.

Day Hospice care staff have joined the Hospice at Home team on the frontline with as care staff providing telephone support to people with life-limiting illnesses. The charity is also gearing up for a rise in demand for bereavement counselling.

Chief executive Simon Bernstein said: "Our Hospice at Home team takes pressure off an already overloaded NHS. It is imperative in this crisis that we free up as many beds as possible for the hospitals to continue to fight the virus.

"The current situation is putting every part of our society under pressure and Longfield is no different. Whilst the hospice is rising to the immediate challenge and supporting the work of the NHS, we must do everything in our power to be here to deliver free care and support for patients with life-limiting illness and their families next week, next month and for the years to come."

The Community Hospice receives 85 per cent of its funding from the local community and has been hit hard by the closure of its 20 shops and cancellation of fundraising events.

Hospice at Home nurse Eden Edney, pictured, said: "Our work has never been more important, so please do what you can to help us continue to care for people in our community."

Youth@Heart
Support for teenagers, young adults (16-24) and their families born with congenital heart disease, Saul
www.youthatheart.co.uk 

A statement on the charity's Facebook page said: "We are bracing ourselves for a significant financial impact over the coming weeks. Much of our funds are raised through sporting challenges and community events. These simply cannot take place.

"We are still totally committed to supporting young people with congenital heart disease, even more so through this difficult period, when the need for help has never been greater - so we are adapting and planning things slightly differently.

"Possible ideas so far include regular monthly or one-off donations, Facebook fundraisers, or how about being the first creative people to organise a house party fundraiser?"

WellChild
Support for children and young people with health needs, Cheltenham
www.justgiving.com/campaign/WellChildResilienceFund 

The charity has launched a Resilience Fund which has raised more than £21,000 towards its target of £100,000.

In a letter on its website, chief executive Colin Dyer wrote: "We are living through an unprecedented crisis that is already affecting families caring for children with serious and complex health needs more profoundly than most people can comprehend.

"We are already seeing our income suffer as fundraising events, collections and essential projects are cancelled across the country. As a charity totally reliant on voluntary fundraising support and with almost 60 per cent of our income generated from fundraising events alone, we urgently need your help.

"As chief executive, my goal is to ensure that once this crisis has passed, WellChild is able to continue our work to give these vulnerable families the vital support that otherwise would not exist."

Cancer Research UK
www.cancerresearchuk.org 

Chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: "The potential impact on our work to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer could be huge.

"People affected by cancer will be facing difficult situations because they're particularly vulnerable or because their treatment is being affected by the knock-on impact in the health service and our priority is making sure we can support them during these unprecedented times.

"We made a decision to protect our volunteers and our supporters by closing our shops and postponing many events. This will have huge implications for our fundraising, and we expect to see a 20-25 per cent decline in fundraising income in the next financial year.

"We've already deferred our spring research grant funding round, and we're making further cuts to our research funding. This is uncomfortable for us, but we must be realistic about what we can deliver given the current circumstances.

"A number of our labs up and down the country are supplying essential equipment and expertise to aid the testing effort, and we've released some of our clinical workforce to return to the NHS frontline."