Adventure learning charity Wide Horizons has announced it will close after Greenwich council decided at the last minute not to give it a £200,000 loan.
The loan would cover rent that the charity owes to the council.
In a statement today the charity said it will have to close all of its nine outdoor centres next week with the loss of 75 jobs, which means that up to 44,000 children will miss out on opportunities.
Wide Horizons is an outdoor adventure learning charity which had an annual income of around £3m.
It is late filing its 2017 accounts with both the Charity Commission and Companies House, but its accounts for the year ending July 2016 show to have had an income of £3.12m and spending of £2.95m. It held £335,192 in unrestricted reserves, which was at the lower end of its target of between £330,000 and £450,000.
The charity has accused Greenwich council of “four months of time wasting”. It said the council had initially pledged a loan of £200,000 but changed its mind yesterday.
A social impact evaluation for 2016/17 report on its website said it worked with 330 schools, enabling 44,160 to take part in activities.
Peter Rogers, chief executive, described the situation as “tragic” and that the charity is “bitterly disappointed as they had implied right up until yesterday that they would support us”.
He added that: “It has been confirmed that the decision was made without the consultation of cabinet or the full council. It is somewhat shocking, given the fantastic community support received, as well as the fact that over 70 per cent of Greenwich schools rely on Wide Horizons to provide their outdoor education.”
John Russell, chair, added that he thought the decision was “short-sighted” and called on the council to rethink the decision.
“It will almost certainly cost them more than £200,000 to secure and maintain the properties that Wide Horizons currently lease from Greenwich but that will be left redundant and will subsequently need new people to run them. Wide Horizons has provided a fantastic service to the local community for many years and it is clear Greenwich Council do not realise how much it is valued, used and relied upon,” he said.
The charity has started a crowdfunder in the hopes of raising the £200,000 it needs by next week.
"We are looking to raise £200,000 which will help the charity keep going over the next 6 months whilst we implement a new business plan that we are confident will provide us with greater financial security," it says on the appeal page.
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