Interstate heading Esther: This truly is a crisis for charities
DAME Esther Rantzen said last night the coronavirus crisis has seen millions finally notice the lifesaving work carried out by charities – and the plight of the elderly.
The emergency has made communities consider how their neighbours live and brought into sharp focus the unsung efforts of an army of tireless volunteers.
One of the heartbreaking realities of the lockdown has been the pain and suffering felt by OAPs who have been left housebound and in desperate need.
Dame Esther’s charity The Silver Line, Britain’s only around-the-clock helpline for lonely and isolated pensioners, has seen calls increase by 40 per cent.
The veteran campaigner said: “I certainly think that for lot of older people they now think the world understands what they have been living with for years, which is the depression, anxiety and fear when you live entirely alone and feel abandoned and forgotten. In a sense this has been a salutary lesson for the rest of us.
“If some good comes out of this it is the links that are being established between neighbours, friends and family looking after people who are alone – I just hope that will continue.
“We need to make those phone calls. Even if you think that someone is fine, just pick up the phone, have a chat and share a joke – it really is so vital.”
British charities are facing a £4billion
funding black hole – one third of the sector’s income over a three-month period – because of the pandemic.
The financial emergency is being felt by organisations large and small, many of which have had to furlough staff and are warning they face going out of business. Only a quarter of charities have enough cash reserves to see them through until mid-June.
Alzheimer’s Society said it would suffer a £20million hit, while Cancer Research UK has been forced to shut 600 shops which last year raised £109million.
Fundraisers like Race for Life, which over the past 20 years has raised more than £547million, have been left in doubt.
Brain Tumour Research forecast a 50 per cent shortfall in annual income from £4million to £2million.
And ChildLine, the charity Dame Esther set up in 1986, has been forced to shut its night-time service – meaning vulnerable children have nowhere to turn.
Dame Esther, 79, said: “Charities are finding this pandemic is a real crisis because they are losing volunteers, who are themselves aged 70-plus and the backbone of many organisations because they go in and answer phones and do millions of crucial chores.
“For the first time in its history ChildLine has had to close down its night service, which is terrible for many children who actually need urgent help.
“Charities like Age UK, Cancer Research UK and many hospices who depend on shops for income have been forced to close.
“My hope is that if people support a charity – whether that is local, national or international – they don’t desert them now because they need you more than ever.”