Blood Cancer UK has said it faces having to reduce staff and spending on research as a result of Covid-19

A cancer charity has announced it faces making job cuts as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Blood Cancer UK has said the pandemic has seen its income drop by around £6 million.

The charity, formerly known as Bloodwise, has said that although it has cut operational costs this year by £2 million and furloughed 40% of staff, its staff team is likely to reduce from 120 to 87.

The organisation is also facing having to reduce its spend on research by £1.8 million as it faces up to lost income as a result of events being cancelled and economic downturn.

In a blog post, Blood Cancer UK chief executive Gemma Peters stressed the job reductions are proposals for now and that the charity is determined to provide the best support possible for those fighting cancer.

She said: “Blood Cancer UK has led the UK fight against blood cancer for the last 60 years and while Covid has made that harder, it’s also made it even more vital. We know it will be harder for scientists to get research funding, that diagnoses will be even slower, and that some people will have a lower chance of surviving because of disruption to their treatment.

“Given this backdrop, my job is to do everything I possibly can to make sure we emerge from this period strong and relentlessly focussed on our mission.”

Blood Cancer UK operates throughout the UK and has community support groups across Scotland. To support the charity’s work, visit the Blood Cancer UK website.