The Appleby Trust is to cease operations at the end of September 2026, bringing the closure of The Gathering Rooms Café in Armagh and the organisation’s Print It operations in Armagh and Lurgan.
The decision was announced on Wednesday, September 30, the final day of the month. It means the end of more than two decades of work supporting people with disabilities through training, supported employment and social enterprise activities.
The Trust’s board said the organisation had lost key sources of funding and had been unable to bridge the resulting financial gap, despite an extensive effort to find replacement income. Its closure will affect not only the people who directly used its services, but also families, carers, employees, volunteers, customers, funders, partners and the wider community.
Funding loss behind closure
The Appleby Trust said it had faced significant financial pressure alongside other organisations in Northern Ireland’s voluntary and community sector. According to the board, changes in the focus of government funding programmes had reduced support for the core costs of charities and community organisations delivering frontline services.
The organisation said changes to the Growth Fund removed almost 70% of its annual funding. That reduction left a shortfall which the board said could not be covered through the Trust’s remaining income or through alternative funding applications.
“The loss of key funding streams means we can no longer sustain our operations.”
In explaining the decision, the directors said they and the leadership team had spent considerable time engaging with funders, pursuing grant opportunities, reviewing the Trust’s operating model and considering every realistic option for protecting its future. The statement said those efforts had not produced a solution on the scale required.
The Trust also said it had joined other voluntary and community organisations in asking the Northern Ireland Executive for a one-year transitional funding arrangement. That support, it said, would have given organisations time to prepare for the next round of funding, which would be administered by the Executive itself.
The board argued that transitional support could have protected essential services and jobs while organisations adjusted to the new funding arrangements. It said the Executive did not provide the requested assistance, despite warnings that the sector was approaching a “funding cliff edge”.
The directors said the Appleby Trust had become one of the organisations affected by that situation. They stressed that the closure was not the result of a lack of determination or effort, saying the board and leadership team had exhausted every realistic option available to protect the services.
Armagh café and Print It operations to close
The Trust’s operations in Armagh have included The Gathering Rooms Café and a Print It social enterprise. The organisation also operates Print It in Lurgan. All of those activities will end when the Trust ceases operations.
The closure will also end the Trust’s training, support and development services for people with disabilities across the community. The board said those activities had helped participants build skills, confidence, independence and social connections, while giving them opportunities to take an active role in their communities.
The directors said the café and printing operations were not simply commercial businesses or training programmes. They described them as places where participants had gained work experience, developed life skills, built friendships and increased their independence.
“These facilities and services are far more than businesses or training programmes.”
According to the Trust, the services also gave participants a sense of purpose and belonging. For some people, the opportunities provided through the Appleby Trust would not otherwise have been available.
The board said the effect of the closure would therefore extend beyond people directly accessing its programmes. Families and carers will also be affected, as will the wider community that has benefited from participants’ involvement and contribution over many years.
Support planned during transition
The directors described the closure as a particularly difficult moment for participants, their families, staff, volunteers and supporters. The Trust’s immediate priority is to work with statutory agencies, funders and partners as the organisation closes.
That work is intended to support participants and staff through the transition and to minimise the effect of the closure. The statement did not identify alternative facilities, replacement programmes or specific arrangements for individual participants after the Trust’s operations end.
The board placed on record its thanks to the dedicated staff team, funders, customers, partners and supporters, both past and present. It said their commitment, compassion and hard work had enabled the Appleby Trust to make a lasting difference to the lives of countless people.
“Today is a heart-breaking day for our participants, their families, our staff, volunteers and supporters.”
Although the organisation will no longer operate, the directors said the closure did not diminish the achievements of the people it had supported. They expressed pride in what had been accomplished and in the positive impact participants had made within their communities.
The Trust said its story had been built around inclusion, opportunity and belief in the potential of every individual. While The Gathering Rooms Café, Print It and the Trust’s wider services will close, the board said that legacy would endure beyond the organisation’s final day.