Charity could not sustain loses

A charity is to close after it shut its Peter Pan visitor centre in Dumfries.

As reported by TFN earlier this month, Moat Brae House will close after experiencing financial problems.  

Now the charity behind the centre is to cease also.

The charity said it had been losing money for some time but also that less people were visiting.

Running costs had also increased.

The national centre for children’s literature at Moat Brae, the mansion where author JM Barrie played as a child and which inspired the story about the boy who never grew up, opened in 2019.

The following year the actress was joined by Little Britain’s David Walliams and Game of Thrones star Kit Harington to record a new audio book of Barrie’s classic story, with the proceeds going to the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust (PPMBT) and the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

However, the trust issued a statement saying the centre would close to the public on August 23 after making losses for an ‘extended period’. 

The charity’s accounts for the financial year ending 31 December 2021 show it had an income of £527,732 and an expenditure of £6.8m, with £6.1m coming from property costs, £5.8m of which was used to “restore and develop the house and gardens”.

The charity’s latest accounts, for the financial year ending 31 December 2022, show expenditure dropped to £465,896 while its income was £292,231.

“Every possible effort and option have been explored by the trustees and staff of the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust, therefore it is with deep sadness that we announce the end of operations,” the charity said.

“We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the staff, volunteers, members and many supporters of the trust for their commitment in bringing the magic of books and storytelling to life for the thousands of visitors who have passed through the doors.”