Appleby Trust to close Armagh and Lurgan services after losing almost 70% of funding

The Appleby Trust is to close its bases in Armagh and Lurgan for good tomorrow, Wednesday, after losing almost 70% of its annual funding.

The long-established disability support charity has begun what its directors describe as an “orderly closure”, ending more than two decades of work supporting people with disabilities through training, supported employment and social enterprise opportunities.

The closure affects nine salaried staff, a number of additional casual workers and more than 50 service users across the two sites. The Trust’s activities are due to cease from the end of September, according to the statement reported by Armagh I.

Armagh café and Print It operations to end

Among the services closing are the Print It social enterprise operations in Armagh and Lurgan, The Gathering Rooms Café in Armagh, and a range of training, support and development services delivered to people with disabilities across the wider community.

The Trust said these activities were not simply businesses or training programmes. They gave participants opportunities to gain work experience, develop life skills, build friendships, increase their independence and find a sense of purpose and belonging.

Its directors said the closure would affect more than the people who directly used the programmes. Families and carers would also feel the impact, as would the wider community that had benefited from participants’ involvement and contribution over many years.

The organisation said its work had helped people develop skills, confidence, independence and social connections. Those opportunities enabled participants to live fuller lives and play an active role in their communities.

Growth Fund changes blamed for income loss

The Trust attributed the decision to the loss of key funding streams, with changes to the Growth Fund identified as the most significant factor. The directors said those changes removed nearly two-thirds of the organisation’s income, contributing to an overall loss of almost 70% of its annual funding.

They said the resulting financial gap could not be bridged despite repeated efforts to find replacement finance. The Board and leadership team engaged with funders, pursued grant opportunities, reviewed the Trust’s operating model and examined every realistic option for safeguarding the organisation and its services.

According to the Trust, those efforts did not produce a sustainable alternative. It said the organisation, like many others in the voluntary and community sector, had faced significant financial challenges as government funding shifted away from covering the core costs of frontline charities.

The directors stressed that the decision was not the result of a lack of determination. They said the Board and leadership team had exhausted every realistic option available to protect the services provided to people with disabilities across the community.

Directors criticise Northern Ireland Executive

The Trust’s directors also criticised the Northern Ireland Executive, saying voluntary and community organisations had warned that they were approaching a “funding cliff edge”. They said they had asked for a one-year transitional funding arrangement to protect essential services, safeguard jobs and prevent the loss of support for vulnerable people.

“The Executive chose not to provide the support requested, and today the Appleby Trust has become one of the casualties of that decision.”

That criticism represents the Trust’s stated position. The source report does not include a response from the Northern Ireland Executive.

The directors said the closure demonstrated the consequences of failing to provide the requested short-term intervention, with valued community organisations becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

Support for staff and participants during closure

The Trust said its immediate priority was to work with statutory agencies, funders and partners to support participants and staff through the transition. It said every effort would be made to minimise the impact of the closure.

The organisation acknowledged the distress caused to participants, their families, staff, volunteers and supporters. It described the announcement as a heartbreaking day for those connected with the Trust and said it understood how much the services meant to people who relied on them.

The directors also placed on record their gratitude to staff, funders, customers, partners and supporters, both past and present. They said the commitment, compassion and hard work of those groups had enabled the Appleby Trust to make a lasting difference to the lives of countless individuals over more than 20 years.

“While this marks the end of the organisation, it does not diminish the achievements of those we have supported or the legacy that the Appleby Trust leaves behind.”

The directors concluded that the Appleby Trust’s story was one of inclusion, opportunity and belief in the potential of every individual, and said that legacy would continue after its doors close.