Cares Family charities close due to insolvency
Melanie May | 2 November 2023 | News
The Cares Family group of charities have announced their immediate closure, due to insolvency.
The group comprised six charities: the national organisation and five member charities.
Its board of trustees announced the closure in a statement on 31 October, saying they were “deeply sad to share that The Cares Family charities will cease operating immediately” and that like many charities, they had found themselves in a “desperately difficult fundraising environment”.
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The statement says:
“Unfortunately, many of the greatest strengths of the Cares Family—our advocacy for issues that have long been underappreciated, and our model of investing almost all funding straight into running programmes and projects for the communities we serve—have made it even harder to survive. We simply don’t have the flexibility to significantly reduce our costs without making it impossible to deliver against our commitments.
“In recent weeks we’ve extensively explored all options, with expert financial and legal advice, and have come to the conclusion that there’s no viable path for the charities that would enable them to continue their work.”
It adds:
“This is a very sad day for our staff, the communities we serve, and the many partners we’ve worked with along the way. We’re doing all we can to ensure older and younger neighbours are aware of other sources of support. The Board will also explore ways to empower other organisations and community leaders who are interested in building on all that we’ve learned together.
“We’re deeply proud of the work of The Cares Family charities, and hope that the legacy of our work will show in the seeds of connection and community power that we have sown.”
In a post on LinkedIn, Cares Family CEO, Nicola Upton – who took up the role in August this year – said that “overseeing the closure of the charity you lead is heartbreaking”, and that when she joined this had not been anticipated. However, she said: “insurmountable issues have come to light and I’ve spent much of my time working closely with the Board to seek any viable alternative to closure, and sadly, there is not.”
She added:
“It’s been a privilege to lead our collection of six charities that operate across north, south and east London, Liverpool, Manchester, and through national delivery, and getting to know our brilliant staff, the Neighbours who participate in our programmes, and the many other partners we have has been a powerful experience.
“The Cares Family charities have done a huge amount of good over the last twelve years, building community and connection, changing the world for people and places, and inspiring others to do the same. We have a lot to be proud of.
“Whilst personally devastated that we have come to this position, I respect and admire our Board of Trustees for exploring the options, seeking advice quickly, and taking the tough decision to close all six of our charities.”
The group had 45 employees across London, Manchester, and Liverpool, described in a second post by Upton as “dedicated, talented people, who will need a job, and support”.
She has asked that offers of help for staff are posted in the comments to her post so colleagues can follow up when they are ready, and adds:
“If you are #recruiting , please post links to your vacancies.
If you are a coach or mentor and can offer some pro bono support, please make yourself known.
If you can offer other support to our staff, that would be wonderful.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.