A charity supporting hospital patients and people facing hardship in the community for nearly 100 years faces closure due to dwindling funds.

The Cheerful Sparrows Thanet, set up in 1925 and instrumental in helping fund the build of Margate General Hospital, now QEQM, has been hit hard by the pandemic and may not make it to Christmas.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the group has continued to help people in the QEQM, which has a ward named after it, as well as families living in desperately hard circumstances.

Chairman Janis Buckley says the charity, believed to be the last Cheerful Sparrows organisation in the country, has helped more than 50 families since March in Thanet.

"During the last six months, since the beginning of lockdown, we have managed to keep going," she said.

"Our team of just six trustees has been working tirelessly to get help to people, who in normal circumstances face extreme hardship, but now need our help more than ever.

"Many charities had to close their doors but we found a way to work together remotely, to get goods paid for and delivered to people. Many of them were in desperate circumstances.

"Once a request was received from the social worker or early help worker, for example, we were able to respond immediately in most cases.

"Many children without beds are now able to get a good night’s sleep.

"Broken down washing machines and cookers have been replaced."

Bur Ms Buckley admits the essential work has come at a great cost to the charity.

"Although we are very proud to be doing our bit for our local community and the wards at our local QEQM hospital, the diverse nature of what we do has never qualified us for large grants of any sort," she said.

"This is still true. Even during lockdown we were refused emergency funds supposed to help local charities, as we were told that we needed a ‘specific project’ with ‘measurable outcomes’ yet again."

She admits without all the people helping them in the past they would have shut up shop already, but that the charity's ability to raise funds through personal appeals and outreach work has now gone.

"Many local people have loyally supported us - such as choirs and community groups - but they can no longer meet," she said.

"The sad truth is that we are now the victims of our own success.

"After nearly 100 years of helping local people, the Cheerful Sparrows Thanet charity may not be around at Christmas 2020 to help anybody."

But she says while their funds might be greatly diminished, their determination is not. She is appealing for donations to help the charity continue, so it can carry on supporting hospital staff and patients, families, disabled people and the elderly, and those who need help most.

To donate visit www.cheerfulsparrows.org.uk/

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