A lifeline Workington disability charity that has served the community for 48 years has announced it is closing due to financial difficulties.
Allerdale Disability Association was set up in 1976 to provide help, support and social opportunities to people living with a wide range of disabilities across the west coast.
It provided vital free support, advice and information on issues ranging from blue badges to benefits for disabled people, their families and carers.
This also included helping people with welfare rights, benefits application forms and providing support with benefits cases through medical reviews to appeal and tribunal levels.
But in a statement on the charity’s website it said an emergency meeting has been called by the board of trustees to close down the charity.
A spokesman for Allerdale Disability Association said: “ADA has faced a number of financial challenges and unfortunately is no longer able to continue offering services to disabled people.
“The board of trustees have made the difficult decision to call an emergency general meeting on November 13 at 11am, the only business on the agenda is a motion to wind up ADA.”
The decision to close the charity has come as a shock to those using its services – and some have been left worried they won’t be able to find the same level of dedicated support elsewhere.
Nick Wilson, of Workington, who has received regular support from the charity, said: “I got a call from them saying that they were unfortunately closing down, which is really bad news.
“I’ve been phoning up and calling around the area to find advocacy, which is something they used to do, and from what I could find, they’re one of the only places in the area that broadly help people with disabilities.
“They provide information to people with a wide range of disability issues and benefit support, which is the main reason I know them.
“They assist in helping people complete forms and checks and they also help them through the tears of the appeals process.
“These processes are extremely difficult for people like myself, and it was one of the only places where they said they could do this and were open to everybody.
“They’ve helped me and my partner through the tribunal stages of disability benefits. But it appears that aside from if you’re lucky and have a one to one support worker, nobody else in the area is providing the same support.”
Nick lives with complex health issues and learning difficulties which impact skills used in daily life like reading.
Having support from the Allerdale Disability Association meant that Nick was able to face the challenges of the disability benefits system with dignity.
He said: “I’ve found many of the disability processes humiliating, you’re picked apart, but having support helps you feel dignified.
“I used to just try and get by and survive, but having someone’s support and sternness against loaded questions and pressure in an extremely weird and overwhelming circumstance is vital for me.”
While Nick said the charity have signposted him to places like Citizens Advice for support – he added he felt that it wasn’t the same level of dedicated support and experience the ADA were able to provide.
After hearing the news of the charity’s impending closure – Nick’s fiancee Kelly Stewart set up a GoFundMe in a bid to help save the charity.
Nick said: “Even if nothing comes of it, they’ve helped over 3,000 people, and helped lots of people access benefits money and it should be commemorated.
“They were very proud of their work, and they’ve been going a very long time. It’s a fundamental service.”
Allerdale Disability Association was first formed following a public meeting about accessibility held in Workington where people came together to campaign for change.
The charity became registered in 1980 and in the years that followed it went on to distribute access guides and surveys to West Cumbrian towns, hold public meetings to highlight problems to councillors and architects and hosted awareness days and information sessions.
It then launched the Leisure Link project, linking a disabled person with a volunteer sharing similar interests or hobbies as well as the Access Awards scheme to encourage businesses to make their premises more accessible.
The charity and its volunteers also won several awards and was hailed a highly commended voluntary organisation by the Whitbread Volunteer Action Awards.
It also provided a talking newspaper after hearing the local talking newspaper team was to disband in 2004 and carried out an accessible landscaping project in the walled garden of the Curwen Centre.
Between 2004 and 2009, it also launched the joint funded Access Grants project with the Workington Regeneration and Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.
The project allowed voluntary groups and small businesses across Workington and Maryport to apply for grants of up to 85 per cent to improve their disability access from a £250,000 pot.
The charity carried out access audits to make sure the correct alterations were being made and all grant recipients had to attend disability awareness training provided by the ADA.
The project enabled 51 voluntary groups and small local businesses to receive grants to make improvements and 31 premises were given portable ramps. 126 people also took part in disability awareness training.
Working with the former Allerdale Borough Council and Parksafe, the charity also delivered a Shopmobility scheme in Workington’s multi-storey car park and the charity additionally became a hate crime reporting centre, working in partnership with Cumbria Constabulary.
Between 2010 and 2016, the charity joined the Neighbourhood Care Independence’ programme in Allerdale and Copeland to deliver a programme of activities, services and support for adults aged 18+ in local communities.
One of the charity’s early chairs, Stella Howarth, was also recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to disabled people and disability rights and awarded an MBE.
During this time the charity said it began facing funding struggles to keep the association running but it continued on and later moved into the former Moorclose Library in 2023.
