An Aberdeen-based charity offering free counselling services has made the majority of its staff redundant following the loss of “crucial funding”, according to reports.
Cairns Counselling provided free counselling sessions to around 100 people in the Aberdeen area, with more than 200 others on its waiting list.
However, BBC News reported that after the charity lost grant support from Aberdeen Health and Social Care Partnership (ACHSCP), six people, including its chief executive, were made redundant, leaving it with two members of staff.
The charity told the BBC it would suspend offering counselling sessions from 22 May, as well as close its premises in Aberdeen city centre.
Cairns said it saw a surge in demand for its services after the closure of fellow charity Mental Health Aberdeen (MHA).
It resulted in it cutting the number of free sessions it offered to people by half – from 20 to 10 – because so many had been added to its waiting list.
An ACHSCP spokesperson told Civil Society: “While we are saddened to hear about the closure of Cairns, we recognise that a range of mental health advice and counselling services remains available in Aberdeen.
“Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership carefully considers how best to support the local population, ensuring people are clearly signposted to the most appropriate service.”
ACHSCP was not Cairns' sole source of funding, with the charity noting on its website that it also relied on “donations and the support of charitable trusts to raise enough funds to deliver the service”.
According to its most recently filed accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2025, Cairns Counselling recorded an annual income of £175,000 and an annual expenditure of £206,000.
