It’s been another incredibly eventful few days managing the Coronavirus emergency and its impact on all aspects of Julia’s House. Everyone here has been playing their part, whether they are still caring for the children and families; working extremely hard at a distance to keep the charity operational; staying in touch with our volunteers to ensure they are OK; or the 40 per cent of our staff who have been furloughed. We are very grateful to them all.
We are very conscious that this unprecedented situation will be with us for a while. As well as ensuring the day to day flexibility in our care service to accommodate the changing needs of the children, and managing a huge drop in our income, we are looking to the future - how we will maintain our vital service for local children and families over the coming months. Managing the huge impact of Coronavirus will be a marathon not a sprint.
As I’ve already shared, the impact of this emergency on the charity’s finances has been huge, with two thirds of our income streams halted. We’re clearly very appreciative that the Government has recognised the vital work that hospices are undertaking right now – supporting the most vulnerable in local communities and by doing so supporting the NHS in its fight against coronavirus. It’s also a huge relief to all our staff, especially the nurses and carers, who have worked so hard to adapt the care we’re providing for families in these very challenging times.
We don’t know specifically what this will mean for Julia’s House in terms of funding, that has yet to be worked out, but it will certainly help us towards meeting the estimated £2.8 million drop in income that we’re anticipating to the end of this year. And that will help us to continue our care for vulnerable children, giving some certainty to the families we support in a time of huge uncertainty in so many other aspects of their lives.
On behalf of the children and our nurses and carers, thank you for helping us to continue to be there for those who need us now more than ever.
With best wishes and take care,
Link to COVID-19 donation page (content to follow)
