The county of Shropshire saw eleven of its charities cease operating between October 2011 and December 2012.

Shropshire’s Voluntary & Community Sector Assembly (VSCA) has revealed the extent of the closures, with nearly a dozen local charities folding in the 12-month period.

The closed organisations range in mission from drug awareness and domestic violence to mental health support.

As well as reporting on the closures, the VSCA surveyed its members about the impact the recession has had on them. Seventy-two per cent of the 34 respondents (around 10 per cent of members) said they had experienced a slight or significant reduction in income.

Sarah Dodds, Shropshire VCSA coordinator, told civilsociety.co.uk that while it was difficult to attribute the crop of closures to one sweeping factor, the current economic climate and the reduction of funding sources “will have contributed significantly”.

The eleven closed charities

The organisations, their date closed and their mission are:

• Chums befriending, October 2011 (isolation)
• Masquerade, January 2012 (learning disability)
• Nesskids, January 2012 (preschool children)
• Shrewsbury Young Performers, February 2012 (young people/arts)
• Bridgnorth Willing Neighbours, March 2012 (older people/community)
• Choices Drug Awareness Project, April 2012 (young people/drugs)
• The Acorn Group, Spring 2012 (mental health support)
• Blue Eyed Soul, July 2012 (disability/arts)
• Future Choices, September 2012 (domestic violence)
• Sharp, September 2012 (prisoners' families)
• Fresh Start, New Beginnings, October 2012 (prisoner rehabilitation)

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