SULLY-BASED Tŷ Hafan, the hospice for children in Wales, will face significant losses over the next few weeks as its 19 charity shops across Wales are forced to shut again.

The temporary closure, until November 9, is due to the coronavirus fire-breaker lockdown.

During this two-week lockdown, the children’s charity has revealed that it will miss out on approximately £100,000 in sales and donated goods – income which is “vital” to keep the charity afloat as it continues to run its services for children with life-limiting conditions and their families during the crisis.

The hospice has already announced that it is forecasting an income loss in excess of £2 million this year, but the significant fundraising challenges, plus the permanent closure of six shops and the impact of Covid restrictions, means it is unlikely to raise even 50 per cent of its much-needed care costs this year.

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Tŷ Hafan chief executive, Maria Timon Samra said: “Our number one priority is being there for the 275 children and families in our care in Wales and we remain resolute in our commitment to do so.

"Despite doing everything we possibly can to support our families, both at our hospice and in a virtual capacity and out in the community, the constant setbacks to our fundraising is creating huge pressures for us.

“We announced in April that we are forecasting losses in excess of £2 million this year, which is almost 50 per cent of the annual running costs of the charity, but we worry that this loss will escalate even further due to the restrictions.”

Back in July, Tŷ Hafan announced it would not be reopening its shops in Merthyr, Bridgend, Maesteg, Tenby, Cardiff Albany Road and its 21-year-old shop in Pontypridd due to the trading challenges posed by Covid-19.

She added, “We had to make some incredibly difficult decisions in the summer, and the shop closures were a huge blow – not only to the charity, but also to the staff and loyal volunteers, many of whom had spent years dedicating their time to our cause.

“Since reopening in late July, we have spent a lot of time and money implementing Covid-safe measures across all of our shops to ensure that we could operate in the safest way possible for our staff, volunteers and customers. Just as we started to get off the ground again, we are, yet again, facing another major loss.

“While we fully appreciate that public health is of the utmost importance at the moment and these measures have been brought in for the safety of people in Wales, we once more find ourselves appealing to the public and our supporters to help us through this latest challenge.

“Whether it’s by buying Christmas cards, playing our Crackerjackpot hospice lottery, supporting an appeal, taking part in a challenge or simply sending us a donation, you will help us keep our doors open for those who need us in Wales.”

Visiting www.tyhafan.org/appeal