Charity suspends activities due to funding crisis

A charity that has supplied a free community larder and a range of clubs and services to promote wellbeing is suspending its operations because of a lack of funding.

The Treverbyn Community Trust near St Austell said it had supported about 20,000 people a year from surrounding communities including Stenalees, Treverbyn, Penwithick and nearby villages.

Five part-time staff are also being made redundant.

Gillian Wilson, chair of the trustees, said: "It's very very sad, devastating for the staff, the trustees, all the people in our community that we had to make that decision to have a temporary pause so that we could look at our finances, what is needed in the community and then reset it."

Mrs Wilson said: "During Covid and just after Covid there were a lot of available grants out there so we were able to maximise that, but now that's not so.

"We went for one, we did an application, and there were 3000 other charities asking for it and we didn't get it, that is the market we are in at the moment.

"It's very sad, the competition is massive and this is how we are.

"It is actually like a battle. It's been like a battle trying to get funding, making decisions, letting people know. We are doing our best, we are all volunteers; the board of trustees are all volunteers," she said.

Jane Cox, secretary of the trust said: "[It is] definitely not a closure of the hall or the trust in Treverbyn.

"It is very much a reset while we look at the activities that will continue and what more we can do in the local and surrounding areas.

"We will no longer have paid staff to continue some of the activities

"We are not alone in this challenge. We are just a very small charity fighting against a lot of others and just want to be able to continue the good work we have been doing and it's become increasingly hard," she said.

The hall is still available for hire.

Kirsty Willcocks who volunteers and runs the Arts Cafe said: "We are feeling very, very sad and we want to do something about it.

"We have just been told it's a lack of funding for community projects.

"A lot of the arts funding has, for some reason, gone to Penzance and St Ives, and some has gone to Redruth, which is great for Redruth, but there is nothing in the St Austell area."

She said it was important to have facilities that were "arts focussed" as they help "connect" people across different age groups.

Clair Payne, another volunteer, said: "We're really annoyed to be honest that we've just been dumped.

"I know at the AGM it was said that it would be carrying on until June, so we are a little bit confused as to why all of a sudden it has stopped, so it's really quite a shock."

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