Young carers charity must raise £15,000 by April

A charity supporting young carers is at risk of closure unless thousands of pounds can be raised by the end of the financial year.

Romsey Young Carers has been going for 20 years and currently helps 170 young people in the area.

But it says demand for its services has increased by 65% over the last five years, and now must raise £15,000 by the end of March in order to remain in operation.

Chris Hall, the charity's manager, said funding had been "drying up and becoming harder and harder to access".

Sophie Clark, who was previously supported by the charity, told the BBC: "You just need those resources, that skill - someone to just talk to you.

"I think growing up in that scenario, your family quite often has to prioritise the other sibling.

"Having that young carers system there helps you as an individual [recognise] you're still important and your feelings matter."

As well as finding thousands of pounds by the April, the charity also estimates it needs to find an additional £25,000 each year.

Mr Hall said the "charity landscape" was looking "incredibly difficult", adding that Romsey Young Carers was "having to try and change and diversify".

"We need to be able to do more and offer more and as a service we've built ourselves to a level where we can do it, but we just need the money and the resources to do it and make a wider change," he said

"The funding challenge for us, like a lot of other charities, is ongoing."

He added that the response to the charity's fundraising plea had so far been "amazing" and it was "well on the way" to raising the £15,000 it needed to survive.

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