The UK’s only ‘Make a Wish’ charity for terminally ill adults is struggling to fund its work now repayments on its £50,000 COVID Bounce Back Loan have begun.
The St Helens-based HoneyRose Foundation raised over £250,000 each year in the five years up to 2020, but since re-opening fully in June 2021, their income has halved. At the same time, overheads such as energy and fuel bills have increased, and they are now having to find an extra £1,000 every month to finance the government-backed debt.
The foundation’s chairman, Billy Duffy, said: "It’s really hurting us."
Much of the loan was used to cover the £32,000 annual rent on their building, which is owned by a London-based pension fund the charity says charged full rent while they were closed.
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About half of HoneyRose’s income came from their charity shop, with the rest coming from volunteer-led fundraising events such as sports tournaments, family fun days, bingo nights and quizzes.
HoneyRose founder, Lynn Duffy MBE, blamed the drop in income on too few volunteers.
She said: "We had 36 people in 2020, but now we’re down to 11. Everyone was so frightened by COVID, and I can understand that. But we really need to get more volunteers. We need more help.
"And now, because of the Bounce Back Loan, we are actually losing money. We have always tried to keep one year’s overheads on deposit in case of a bad year, but we have dropped far below that."
Lynn worked as a nurse for 36 years before starting the HoneyRose Foundation with money from re-mortgaging her home. She received an MBE in 2016 for her work with seriously ill adults, having raised over £2.5 million since 2006, money which has gone to help more than 12,000 people.
Describing the charity’s mission, Lynn said: "It’s not just about activities. It’s about making special memories for people. When someone in a household gets sick, there is often a drop in income. Sometimes a partner has to go part-time or stop working altogether, so there just isn’t the money to make quality memories before they have to say goodbye.
"We did a wedding recently, for Gemma, who sadly died the very next day. That was very sad, but on the day she look absolutely beautiful. She loved being with her husband and she had a fantastic day.
"They danced all night with him holding her, keeping her stood up straight. I hope that when they left and went back to the hospice where she died, she had all those lovely thoughts in her head."
Charity Finance Group’s Director of Policy and Communications, Dr Claire Mills, said: "Charities have had to pull on every lever available to keep providing public benefit, in whatever form that takes. It has been a huge balancing act for them, combining fundraising, trading income, grants, contracts and looking after their people, whether volunteers or paid staff."
Kate Mathias of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations said: "Charities are finding it difficult to recruit and retain volunteers and paid workers. Lots of people started volunteering during furlough but have since gone back to work, while some who stopped volunteering during the pandemic haven’t returned. This is making it difficult for charities to deliver."
If would like more information about the HoneyRose Foundation’s volunteering opportunities, or if you would like to make a donation, please visit their website www.honeyrosefoundation.org.uk or call them on 01744 451 919.
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