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A REDDITCH charity which helps hundreds of families every year is at risk of closure if it does not raise £70,000 by August.

Hi my name is Tracy and i am the deputy manager at Pep&Co in Redditch. I  noticed an advertisement on facebook that were looking at trying to help raise funds for Homestart who are on the brink of closure due to funding. As you may recall in October large companies were starting to charge 5p for carrier bags, I believed our chosen charity for the money received from 5p carrier bags was going to Homestart and i was so happy in thinking that we as a local store would be able to  help a local charity from potentially closing. After speaking to our marketing team i was told that our actual charity was Early help and not Homestart. ( one of my major blonde moments lol) I was devastated at hearing this and felt awful as i had already contacted someone At Homestart excited  at the prospect of us being able to help them with the money i thought we had raised. I was trying to think of a way that i could try and help and raise at least the £500 i thought we had for them. After speaking to my work colleagues they reminded me that i had wingwalking as an xmas present from my fiance and that i could do this to help raise as much money as i could for such an amazing charity that helps so many families and to loose them would be a great shame.

Wingwalking is booked for the 13th August at 3pm. I cant wait, and to know that i will now be doing it to help a local charity makes it even more exciting. Be great if you can help, no matter how small the donation, every little bit really does help.

Once i have done the wingwalking i will upload a video of me doing it so you can see i have seen it through.

Below is a brief description about Homestart.

Home-Start supported more than 350 families last year but will be forced to close its doors despite referrals to the organisation rising due to cuts in other services across the region.

Volunteers at the charity are concerned for the welfare of vulnerable families in the area.

Manager Karen Jones said: “We are desperate. The people who use our services will be devastated if we close our doors and it will have a massive impact in the wider community.”

The organisation was funded by Worcestershire County Council, Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council but this ceased in November 2015, and their Lottery grant runs out in August.

The team are looking at other funding options including working with other local charities and teaming up with local universities to complete mental health research projects, but the timescale for the funding to come through is very tight.

“We support parents and children who are in situations as diverse as depression, bereavement, debt, housing issues, domestic abuse, alcohol and substance abuse and disability,” said Karen.

“We are not the authorities, and I think that makes people more inclined to trust and open up to us. We are then able to tailor our support to each person’s individual needs much more quickly.”

For 27 years Home-Start North East Worcestershire has helped the most vulnerable families across Redditch and Bromsgrove working in partnership with Health, Social Services, Education and Early Help.

Volunteer and trustee Michele Beevers said: “The centre provides a vital crutch for people in times of need, and if it is taken away, a lot of them will fall. Who is going to be there to pick them up?

“Redditch is one of the most deprived areas in the country. Without services like ours, people will fall at the wayside.”