Many charities are losing funding and going to the wall

A baby bereavement charity is fighting for survival and is down to its last three months of funding.

It is now desperately appealing for donations and says it only has months left if it can't raise the necessary amount.

This is the charity’s second appeal after its first attempt, in December, raised only a quarter of its £220,000 target.

Simba helps families cope with the loss of babies through items like memory boxes and relies mostly on public donations.

It also refurbishes family rooms in hospitals to create a peaceful and private space for families and installs memorial ‘Trees of Tranquillity’ as well as holding events during Baby Loss Awareness Week in October.  

The charity has supported some 50,000 people since it was formed in 2005.

Sara Fitzsimmons, chief executive and co-founder of Simba, said a surge in requests for boxes from hospitals and a sharp increase in the costs of producing and distributing them had left the charity “running desperately low on funds”.

She said: “Our costs have increased faster than ever before, while at the same time we’ve seen a huge growth in requests for our precious memory boxes.

“As a result, we are devastated to say that we could face closing our operation unless we receive vital funds by the end of March 2023.”

The organisation has already introduced cost-cutting measures, including reducing staff salaries and working hours.

Several other Scottish charities have either closed or facing closure as the running cost crisis grips the sector. Food Train Glasgow said it could close in weeks while Love Gorgie Farm closed its doors earlier this month because of a funding shortfall.

Kids and Adults Together, in Glasgow, is also facing closure after its application for £480,000 in funding to cover costs for the next three years was rejected by the city council.