Government urged to aid Fife Gingerbread amid funding crisis

First minister asked to provide lifeline for charity that supports hundreds of at-risk families in the region

The Scottish Government is to investigate whether a lifeline can be thrown to a struggling Fife charity which faces abandoning vulnerable families.

Nicola Sturgeon was urged to intervene to help Fife Gingerbread after a funding crisis could leave it unable to serve two-thirds of the hundreds of families it supports.

She pledged to ask Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell to determine what aid could be provided by the Scottish Government to the organisation.

During First Minister’s Question Time in Holyrood, Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker told Ms Sturgeon what the charity described as a “perfect storm” had led to the crisis.

She said: “More than half the workforce might lose their jobs and 253 of the 348 vulnerable families whom it currently supports – or almost twothirds – might see that vital help end.”

Seeking support from the government to help the charity and its families, Mrs Baker called for a commitment to work with Fife Council and relevant partners to find a solution.

Ms Sturgeon said: “I know about the good work that Fife Gingerbread does, how important it is and how many families rely on the services that it provides.

“I do not know all of the details that lie behind the situation that (Mrs Baker) has outlined, but I will ask the communities secretary to engage with Fife Gingerbread as well as Fife Council to see whether the Scottish Government can provide any further support to ensure that the organisation can continue to do its valuable work.”

Revenue streams to the charity, which supports lone parents and disadvantaged families, are set to end or be cut with no additional money secured.

Earlier this week, boss Rhona Cunningham urged Fife Council to step in, warning that 72 of the children it supports could require social work intervention.

She said: “If even 10 of those children were to end up in residential care it would cost the local authority a staggering £1.6 million per year, so the opportunity is there for Fife Council to fund our work now and save money in the long run.”

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253 of the 348 vulnerable families whom it currently supports – or almost twothirds – might see that vital help end. FIRST MINISTER NICOLA STURGEON

CEO Rhona Cunningham has warned the charity is facing a funding “perfect storm”.