A local Age UK charity in west London is considering its future viability after closing its day centre earlier this month.
On 3 July, Age UK Hammersmith & Fulham suspended all services at its Greyhound Road centre and advised users to contact the local council.
A spokesperson for charity this week told Civil Society that day centre would not reopen and that it is now engaging with an insolvency firm to determine next steps.
They outlined national insurance and minimum wage increases, the cost-of-living crisis and limited resources as reasons for the centre’s closure.
Some of the charity’s “paid for” services have also shut, the spokesperson confirmed.
“We know that this will be worrying news for the older people we support, as well as our staff, volunteers and supporters,” they said.
“These are unprecedented times and whilst no decisions have been made yet, we want to reassure people we are doing all we can and will keep people updated.”
Earlier this month, Age UK’s local Shropshire Telford & Wrekin charity consulted on making half its workforce redundant, while the recently merged Kent Rivers branch shut in April.
Declining income and reserves
In Age UK Hammersmith & Fulham’s most recent accounts, Derec Craig, chief executive, wrote that the year had presented “significant difficulties” including a fundraising drop.
The charity reported an income of £673,000 in the year to March 2025, down from £752,000 the year before, and expenditure of £800,000, down from £865,000 in 2023-24.
“Despite organising several events and submitting applications to grant-making organisations, funds raised were considerably lower than in previous years, he said.
“Consequently, the trustee board was compelled to make tough decisions to reduce overhead costs, which included reducing staff numbers,” he added.
Craig stated that this impacted service delivery and resulted in longer wait times for some users.
In his foreword, chair Robin Fawcett wrote that the charity had to use some of its reserves to cover the cost of its services due to financial pressures.
Its reserves fell below the charity’s forecast figures of £292,000 to £153,000 as of 31 March 2025.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council had allowed the charity to use the centre rent-free, according to the accounts.
