FEARS have been raised over the future of services at a well-known children’s care centre in Hampshire.

Charity chiefs at The Rainbow Centre in Fareham say the facility has suffered a significant fall in fundraising income over the last year.

And now bosses say they could be forced to cut back the number of life-changing therapies it can offer to children with cerebral palsy, as well as adults with Parkinson’s.

Rainbow Centre Chief Executive James Mudie said: “It costs us almost £850,000 per year to run The Rainbow Centre and we get no official funding.

“Everything we spend we have to raise from donations, trusts, bequests and corporate gifts.

“So a drop in the number of donations such as we have experienced in the past two years means we have to review the services we provide.

Daily Echo:

(Charity CEO James Mudie, pictured right)

“We don’t want to have to cut back on services - they are crucial to those people that receive them - but we must have the funds in place to be able to deliver them.”

Mr Mudie, who took over the CEO role from Lara Bull in March 2018, said funding has fallen by 30 per cent this financial year.

He warned that if the charity’s fortunes cannot be turned around in the next three months there will need to be review of costs and the level of services provided by the centre.

The Rainbow Centre uses conductive education to help children with cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions.

It also helps adults with Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis or recovering from a stroke.

The therapies enable severely disabled children to walk and perform other activities, and enable adults to re-train some of the motor skills that they lose with Parkinson’s and a stroke.

Mr Mudie said: “The work of our dedicated team truly transforms people’s lives – whether they are young children with cerebral palsy or older people with neurological conditions.

“It is truly life-changing and life-affirming.

“We all know someone who has Parkinson’s or who has had a stroke, or someone with a child born with cerebral palsy.

“These are conditions that affect all of us in our communities, so as a charity we are relevant to everyone.”

The charity, which celebrates its 30th birthday next year, was founded by Helen Somerset-How (MBE).

In spring 2014, Lara Bull was among hundreds who helped save the charity from closure.

She later became CEO of the charity in 2015.

Ms Bull resigned last year, citing personal and family reasons.

She was replaced by current CEO James Mudie, who was also part of the group who battled to save the centre in 2014.