A CHARITY that has offered its services across South Lakeland and Furness for more than 20 years is facing closure.

The Trustees of Postnatal Wellbeing Cumbria, which helps mothers and families affected by postnatal illness, have recommended the closure of the charity following a lack of funding.

It was initially founded as a self-help group and has been running as a charity for nine years. Andy Hampshire, the charity’s business manager said: “It’s been more and more difficult over recent years. It’s not something that’s happened all at once.”

He said that while funders have been “brilliant” - including The Westmorland Gazette - the charity has not been able to increase its overall funding in real terms for several years.

“It’s meant we’ve had to shrink our services and has put more and more pressures on staff and resources. Redundancy notices have been issued, but we have done that in the past and things have happened that have allowed us to keep going so we just have to wait and see.”

A meeting of the members will be held on February 11 where a decision as to the future of the charity will be made.

”If the vote goes yes then the charity will be dissolved,” explained Mr Hampshire. “But it could be the case that the meeting doesn’t vote it and we keep it open. It’s a very difficult decision to make.”

Mr Hampshire said that the charity would be carrying on its existing services in the mean time, but the services carried out by paid staff would stop should they be made redundant.

“It could be that we get volunteers in, it’s impossible to say what might happen. We’ve had lots and lots of calls of support from people wanting to help so you never know. I’m hoping something positive will come out of it.”