A local independent charity is stepping in to support families in west Dorset after its sister organisation was forced to close.

As previously reported, Home-Start West Dorset closed its doors earlier this month after 15 years of operation.

Home-Start Wessex has announced that it is now extending its reach to provide support to families in west Dorset following the closure of Home-Start West Dorset, which had an office in Dorchester. 

It announced it would shut down after being unable to secure sufficient grants to maintain its work. Staff were issued with redundancy letters.

Home-Start West Dorset was set up to give friendship, advice and practical support to families who live in the west Dorset area and who have at least one child under the age of five.

Home-Start Wessex has been working with staff at Home-Start West Dorset to ensure the safety of families the charity supports and to retain volunteers in the area.

Kathy Fryatt-Banks, CEO of Home-Start Wessex said: “All of us here at Home-Start Wessex are very sorry to hear about the closure of Home-Start West Dorset.

“With immediate effect, we are extending our reach to cover West Dorset, including Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland, Bridport and Lyme Regis."

The reach of the charity now covers much of the Dorset Council area, including Purbeck, Swanage and the BCP Council area, as well as the borders of Hampshire and Wiltshire - stretching as far east as New Milton and representing more than 600,000 people.

The closure of Home-Start West Dorset has highlighted the ‘funding crisis’ that charities are facing, driven by issues including the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, according to a spokesperson for Home-Start.

Between 2016 to 2017, the majority of the fundraising for the charity came from local authorities, the NHS and the Lottery, but now the funding has been drastically reduced, with the organisation needing to find alternative ways to raise funds to continue.

Home-Start Wessex was set up 50 years ago and has supported more than 1.5m children. Ninety per cent of the families the charity supports are single mums, and 85 per cent of families the charity supports suffer from mental health issues.

Home-Start Wessex has helped more than 3,500 families and supported more than 10,000 children in their catchment area.

Ms Fryatt-Banks said: “Our service is in greater demand than ever before, with more and more families struggling to cope.

“We see families going through considerable stress and hardship, including a rise in families who have suffered domestic violence, mental breakdowns and been forced into homelessness.

"We feel for our colleagues at Home-Start West Dorset who have had to make the heart-breaking decision to close. We are keen to do what we can to ensure that families in West Dorset can still access the support they need. Because childhood can’t wait,” she added.

The charity is looking for volunteers to commit two to three hours per week to help young children and parents in the community. If you would like to get involved contact michelle@homestartwessex.org.uk Training will be provided and no special qualifications are required.

Find out more information at https://homestartwessex.org.uk