A CHARITY providing respite care and days out for disabled adults has issued a stark warning that its days could be numbered without a major funding boost.

Breathing Space was launched in 1994 to enable people with learning difficulties and disabilities in Hambleton and Richmondshire to join in leisure activities.

Its chairman Anne Alder said the Northallerton-based charity is running on its cash reserves, which are sufficient to keep it going for the rest of the year. However, she warned it will be in serious difficulty by next spring unless it attracts significant funding.

“It costs around £40,000 a year to run our services and we get £9,000 of that from council funding. We have been advised to start charging realistic prices for our trips, but we already charge our members the full cost of the activity plus a £3.50 administration fee.

Breathing Space has 135 members using its services and whose families benefit from the respite care. Trips and activities include bowling, cinema, sport nights, trips to the seaside and country shows.

Breathing Space, based at the Mencap Centre,relies just as heavily on regular, smaller donations, and is appealing for people to make donations through Localgiving.com, which is running a scheme from October 14 to match-fund all one-off £10 donations and all monthly donations up to £10 for six months.

For more information call 01609 779420 or visit breathingspacenorthallerton.org.uk/

To donate visit localgiving.com/campaign/gyt from October 14 and search for Breathing Space Northallerton.