Claire House faces cash crisis as fundraising declines

Sep 17 2008 by Matt Hurst, Bromborough and Bebington News

Claire House faces cash crisis as fundraising declines

WIRRAL charity Claire House has been forced to deny it is facing bankruptcy, just weeks after Wirral News revealed corporate donations had dropped to unsustainable levels.

The credit crunch has combined with a sense that the organisation has benefited substantially through its association with Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen.

The couple had invited guests at their multi-million pound wedding this summer to donate to charities, including Claire House, in lieu of gifts.

Coleen’s 10-year-old sister, Rosie, suffers from Rett Syndrome, which means she cannot walk, talk or feed herself, and is cared for at the Bebington-based hospice.

But Claire House has now revealed it has so far received little over £2,000 from guests, and not the “£2m windfall’ mooted in some corners.

This week, chief executive Karen Wright said: “Wayne and Coleen are long-standing and generous supporters.

“We understand they did invite guests at their wedding to donate to their favourite charities but, to date, not a great deal has been forthcoming – though we have received donations from a handful of up to £500 each.

“We are grateful to put to bed rumours that we had received a £2m windfall – the reality is we continue to depend year-on-year on the thousands of people who do regularly support us and undertake all sorts of fundraising activities on our behalf.”

Claire House must raise £200,000 each month to stay open and still needs to generate an additional £1m in 2008 to break even.

Last month, head of appeals Janet Ratcliffe, told the News that donations from the general public were a little ahead of the same period last year, but other fundraising has suffered drops.

Despite the ongoing demand for resources, Karen Wright added: “It certainly is not the case we’re going bankrupt.”