A charity which helps homeless and vulnerable people has revealed it must close rather than “struggle on” irresponsibly.

Gillingham Street Angels (GSA) was set up by founder Neil Charlick in 2018, and operates several charity shops across the Medway Towns, as well as a food bank.

It costs about £1 million a year to run and employs 52 full-time staff and 100 volunteers.

But now in a shock statement the venture has announced it’s closing. It reads: “With sadness, the Trustees of GSA have concluded that the charity is no longer financially viable and must close.

“Many of you in our treasured community will know that Tracey Errington stepped in as Interim Chief Executive Officer in March following the departure of GSA’s founder.

“Tracey immediately saw the need to appoint a new board of Trustees.

“Our first priority was to assess the financial and operational viability of the organisation, and to ensure that GSA meets the high standards set by our regulator, the Charity Commission.

“Since March, Tracey and her wonderful team of staff and volunteers have put their hearts and souls into efforts to streamline and stabilise GSA.”

But, it says that “despite their extraordinary hard work”, GSA’s Trustees have not found a “workable” pathway to recover the charity from “imprudent financial and operational decisions” that were taken in the past.

It added: “The Trustees are grateful to our legal advisors and the Charity Commission for their sound advice and practical support.

“Through their guidance, we understand that allowing GSA to struggle on in its current form would be irresponsible.

“We are exceptionally proud of the GSA team for their dedication to the people of Medway.

“Most of all, we are eternally grateful to the people of Medway for your loyalty, and for finding the courage to reach out for our help.

“Please be assured that Tracey Errington and the GSA Trustees are in ongoing talks with other Medway service leaders, both community and civic, in order to mitigate the effects of GSA’s closure, particularly in regard to the food bank and crisis response.”

GSA’s services, which include a food bank in Skinner Street and charity shop in King Street will continue to operate as normal until further notice.

Medway Council leader Vince Maple said he was saddened to hear the news that one of Medway’s valuable charities is set to close.

He added: “The charity has no doubt supported thousands of residents over the years, from those on low incomes to people sleeping rough.

“The closure also sadly impacts the service Gillingham Street Angels had provided at our household waste and recycling centres, where residents could donate reusable items to the charity to be sold at an affordable price within its shops.

“This service is unfortunately no longer available, but we will explore if there are alternative options to provide a similar service in the future.”

In July, the council renewed its cost of living plan to ensure residents have access to up-to-date information.

The plans sets out the wide range of support on offer directly from the council, as well as its partner agencies, all in one place.

Cllr Maple continued: “If you are struggling, please do see what support there is out there – these are incredibly challenging times for a lot of people and asking for a bit of help is perfectly ok.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to support our residents and we will continue to play our part to ensure people can access the help they need.”

“I was pleased, along with Deputy Leader Teresa Murray, to meet with Tracey Errington, who stepped in as interim chief executive officer of Gillingham Street Angels earlier this year, and trustees to discuss the closure.

“We will do all we can to support Tracey and the team of volunteers who give up their time to selflessly help others, as well as our residents most in need.”

In March last year, the charity took over an empty car showroom in Chatham High Street - its 11th venture in the past six years.

But earlier this year, the charity was targeted by burglars, who left more than £1,000 in damage at both of its charity shops.

The stores were left with smashed windows and money was stolen from tills.

The Medway Street Angels have no connection to GSA, and is operating as usual.