Youth charity Fixers to close due to insufficient funds

05 Jun 2019 News

Youth charity, Fixers has announced that it will close because it has “been unable to raise the funds required” to continue.

On a blog posted on Fixer’s website, Ralph Bernard, chairman of Public Service Broadcasting Trust (Fixers) said that the charity will formally close at the end of August 2019 due to insufficient funds.

According to its annual accounts for the year ending 31 March 2018, the charity had a deficit of £38,095. While the majority of its funding came from the Big Lottery Fund, now the National Lottery Community Fund, the contract with the funder was set to end in 2020.

The report also said that the charity had spent too much money producing a video for ITV and that it was developing its strategy to be more financially sustainable. Bernard said that the trustees had had to spend time “addressing a number of key performance and financial issues requiring immediate attention”.

In a statement, Bernard said: “Funding for Fixers has depended largely on substantial grants from trusts, foundations and individuals. These donations have been ever harder to replace when they come to an end. In particular, one substantial annual grant is now due to finish this year and despite relentless and determined attempts to replace it we have been unable to do so at the levels required to meet our projected and significantly reduced costs.”

Fixers employs 13 members of staff. Bernard said that the charity had enough funds to manage the redundancy process. He also said the charity would wind down over the next three months, and redirect beneficiaries and resources to different organisations.

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