Hospice Latest lockdown to cost charity £500k
BRISTOL’S only adult hospice says it is facing a worsening financial situation after being forced to close its shops for a third time because of the new lockdown.
Like all other non-essential retail, St Peter’s Hospice has had to pull down the shutters once more on its 51 shops across the Bristol area due to Government restrictions.
Charity bosses say the latest enforced closures, along with all fundraising once again being suspended, will see the organisation lose around £500,000.
The charity is already facing a £2million black hole in its finances due to the first Government lockdown in March when its stores closed and fundraising events were cancelled.
Shops reopened in July as restrictions eased, but were mothballed again in November when the second lockdown came into force.
The restrictions, during what is one of the busiest months at the shops in the run-up to Christmas, saw the charity lose another estimated £300,000 in revenue.
The stores opened again at the beginning of December, only to be told now to shut until mid February in the third national lockdown.
St Peter’s Hospice chief executive officer Frank Noble said: “We estimate due to the latest lockdown we could be losing around £500,000.”
Mr Noble added: “We already had a deficit of £2million following the first lockdown. The appeal was launched to try to recoup some of those losses, but every time we raise money and start to fill that hole, it just keeps getting bigger. The money raised has helped fill the losses of the second lockdown, but the initial funding gap of £2million still remains.”
The hospice has been forced, for the first time in its history, to reduce the number of beds at its inpatient unit at Brentry from 15 to 10 to help reduce costs.
It has also been forced to make staff redundant, suspend the day hospice and move some services online.
Its community nurse specialists and hospice at home teams have continued to work as normal.
Mr Noble said the hospice was continuing to hold services at the current level and had plans in place to do so for the next financial year.
“We are committed to our staff, trustees, commissioners and the people of Bristol to maintain our current level of services until March 2022,” he said. By then we hope the pandemic will be over and our focus will be on recovery.”
Mr Noble said the cost of the ongoing lockdowns was having far more than just a financial impact on the charity.
“We have a staff which is tired and exhausted,” he said. “It has been relentless for all of them.
“Now they are facing another lockdown with all the pressures it brings and we need to make sure we give them the support they need. Our retail staff also face being furloughed for the third time.
“We have also had to cancel major events such as the Walk to Remember. This is an event where people come together to raise money in memory of their loved ones.
“This is the human cost of this latest lockdown.”