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'I'd die of loneliness if elderly charity closed'

Louise Hobson,in Darlingtonand
Pamela Tickell,North East and Cumbria
News imageBBC / Louise Hobson Carol Norris has long white hair and glasses perched atop her head. She is wearing a white top with black dots on it and has a smile on her face.BBC / Louise Hobson
Carol Norris, 83, started using the charity's services to combat loneliness

A charity which supports about 16,500 older people each year has warned an ongoing and growing funding crisis could see it close within six weeks.

Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington said, despite cutting costs "as far as we can", it needed to raise £14,000 to keep running while it sought longer-term funding.

Carol Norris, 83 and from Darlington, started using the charity a year ago and said she would "probably rot at home and die of loneliness" if it closed.

Chief executive Fay Scullion said the charity was entering a "crisis situation" and blamed rising prices, increased taxes and fewer donations for the funding gap.

The independent charity delivers more that 900 meals and provides 250 day care sessions every month, along with running clubs and activities.

It also serves more than 1,000 people at its cafe at Bradbury House in Darlington

In a statement, the organisation said: "We are not asking for a luxury, we are asking for a lifeline to remain open."

News imageBBC / Louise Hobson Barbara Carr has glasses and short, white hair. She is sitting and looking directly at the camera and is wearing a greeny-blue knitted top.BBC / Louise Hobson
Barbara Carr had been coming to the charity for many years

Barbara Carr, 86, said she used the charity's day care service for the sense of "community".

"I don't know what I'd do [if it shut] and other people must be feeling this too.

The charity has about 20 staff and 60 volunteers, including Barbara Cartwright who said: "I don't think people realise how important this place is for the old people."

News imageBBC / Louise Hobson A fairly modern red-bricked building with glass doors on the corner. There is a tiled roof above the door, with a sign on it that reads: "Bradbury House". There is a further sign affixed to the wall above it that reads: "North Yorkshire and Darlington. Age UK."BBC / Louise Hobson
Age UK said older people came to their Darlington cafe every day

Scullion said: "The prices of food, utilities, staff costs, national insurance, minimum wage has all gone up and our donations and our income is not matching what we need to survive month on month."

She said it costs approximately £45,000 every month to run its services but there was a £14,000 month-on-month gap.

If it could not secure funds, Scullion said the charity would "look to close the doors probably within a month to six weeks".

"We have a whole range of people who come into our activities, such as the cafe, every day because they are alone and they have nowhere else to go."

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