Len Wilson, from Waterloo, has spoken of his upset after learning that Papyrus - Prevention of Young Suicide had collapsed into administration, just days before a charity run held in memory of his son Nathan.
Nathan took his own life on February 27, 2013, aged 17. For the past decade, Len and his wife Gail have organised an annual run in Crosby to raise funds for the Warrington-based charity. The event has attracted support from many in the area, including former Liverpool FC defender Jamie Carragher.
Charity enters administration
This year's run is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 13, at Crosby Leisure Centre as planned. However, at the start of this week, news emerged that Papyrus had entered administration, with employees posting on social media that they had lost their jobs with immediate effect.
The news was later confirmed on the charity's website and social media channels. Opus Restructuring & Insolvency has been appointed to manage the charity's affairs and to "support an orderly wind down." This means an immediate end to the HopeLine24/7 service, which provided round-the-clock support for anyone in crisis.
The development comes just over a year after Papyrus launched an emergency fundraising appeal, citing rising costs and falling donations across the charity sector.
Uncertainty over donated money
The collapse has created uncertainty about what will happen to money donated to Papyrus in recent weeks, including the £2,500 raised through the appeal for Nathan's Charity Run. The joint administrators have said that, where possible, "a transfer of services will be sought to willing parties."
Len confirmed the run will still go ahead but will now raise money for Love Jasmine, a Liverpool-based charity supporting bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings. However, he does not know if some of the money given to Papyrus will ever be returned.
He said: "Earlier this week, I got a message from someone we met in 2017 through our work. She texted me saying, is your run still going ahead with the devastating news about Papyrus? I said, what devastating news? I phoned my wife, she Googled it and found out."
"I spent all day responding to texts and emails, saying, what has happened to the money? There's already money that's gone over - £2,500 in total. Because they've gone into the administration, (Papyrus) don't even have control of the money. It's the auditors who will assess what they got. They will look to sell things off to pay the creditors I imagine."
Supporters and staff in shock
Len found the news tough to take. Despite supporting the charity's emergency appeal last year, he claims he had no idea how bad things were. He said: "It was very upsetting to hear. Building up to the run, it's stressful anyway. It's always been stressful. It was so close to our run. If it happened a few months back, we could have looked for something else and got the message out there."
Among the most high-profile Papyrus backers were the 3 Dads Walking Group. Andy Airey, Mike Palmer and Tim Owen have completed thousands of miles of walking around the UK in honour of their daughters, Sophie, Beth and Emily, raising £1.5m for Papyrus. Len added: "3 Dads Walking raised millions for them. I was surprised when Papyrus put an appeal out last year - maybe they went too big and were opening offices everywhere, I don't know."
Ex-employees at Papyrus were also left in the dark. Writing on his public LinkedIn page on Tuesday, one said: "I can't quite believe I'm writing this, but yesterday I was made redundant with immediate effect, along with all staff at Papyrus, as the charity enters insolvency. I'm still processing what has happened and, like everyone of my colleagues, I'm in shock."
Run to go ahead
Nathan's Charity Run will go ahead as planned. Although 150 runners are currently signed up, compared to between 250 and 300 in previous years, Len expects numbers to increase over the coming days. He said: "We get loads who sign-up on the day. Many of the runners have donated an extra £5. I appealed to Phil Carragher, Jamie Carragher's dad, for help. We ended up with more money than we need. I said, are we ok to use it for tombola prizes? It enhances the run. It's not just a run now, it's an event."
An impressive £1,500 has been raised for Love Jasmine in less than a week.
A spokesperson for the administrators said: "Emma Mifsud and Charles Turner of Opus Restructuring & Insolvency have been appointed Joint Administrators of Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide. The appointment follows an extended and extremely difficult period in which the charity's Board of Trustees and senior management explored every available option to secure Papyrus' future. This included changes to its operating model, cost reductions and consideration of whether services could be transferred to other organisations, to protect the services provided. Despite these efforts, and against a backdrop of rising demand, increased trading costs, and ongoing a reduction in reliable funding across the sector, the board concluded that the charity was no longer able to continue operating in such a climate, taking the decision, to appoint insolvency practitioners in line with their fiduciary duties. The Joint Administrators recognise the charity's significant contribution to the sector over the years and the dedication of its staff, volunteers, trustees and supporters. In light of its current position, the charity will close with immediate effect; however, where possible, a transfer of services will be sought to willing parties. It would not be appropriate to speculate on next steps or outcomes while that work is ongoing, and further information will be provided as and when it becomes available."
