As you will all be aware, the coronavirus pandemic, as well as being a health crisis, has also had a severe impact on organisations. Fundraising across the charity sector has been dramatically reduced and CLDF is no exception.
As ever, the most important thing for us is that we continue to be there for our families and young people. We want to be able to offer essential information and emotional support wherever it is needed, whether that relates to concerns over the coronavirus and living in isolation or the many other issues concerning childhood liver disease which you all still have to cope with.
In addition to providing one-to-one support and guidance, the charity is producing specific information and blogs to support families and young people who are shielding. We are in regular touch with the specialist units and will use CLDF’s platforms to communicate with all affected families. Last week we trialled our first virtual support group meetings for families and young people, and over the coming weeks we will publicise these as weekly sessions.
The dramatic fall in fundraising revenue, however, has made it impossible for us to carry on as we were. More than half of our team have had to be furloughed and are not working for us at present. We very much hope that they can rejoin us when this crisis is over, but we do not know when that will be.
This may mean that someone you are in regular contact with is not currently here, but if you call or email them, your message will still be picked up by a member of the team who will be able to help you. In addition, it may mean that our response times are longer than normal, so please do bear with us.
Rest assured we are very much here for all our families and young people and have taken these steps purely to safeguard the future of the charity. Every week another 20 children are diagnosed with a liver condition and we are determined to be here for all of you for many years to come. You can count on us to continue to deliver support and guidance during these very difficult times.
If you have queries or concerns and would like support, guidance or information please contact our families team here. The website is also a wealth of information with links to all of our publications and a specific section on coronavirus updates.
If you would like to donate to support the charity you can do so here.
