A leading UK charity supporting deaf children has gone into liquidation with debts of £430,000, after 20 years of operation. Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK), based in Bicester, Oxfordshire, announced it could no longer operate sustainably due to mounting financial pressures.
The charity, founded in 2003, was the leading provider of Auditory Verbal therapy in the UK, helping deaf children access the same opportunities as their hearing peers. It offered therapy, professional training, research, and awareness campaigns, and employed 30 staff, all of whom have lost their jobs.
In a statement, AVUK said: 'Like many charities, AVUK has been operating in an increasingly challenging and turbulent environment for some time. Over recent months, despite strong progress pursuing our strategy and continued delivery of high quality, life changing support, the financial pressures facing the charity have intensified to a point where it is no longer possible for us to operate sustainably.'
The charity noted that creditors falling due within a year totalled £433,557. Despite campaigning for sustained government support for deaf children, AVUK said its demands had 'not been met', adding that 'access via public services remains very limited'.
Professional advisors from S&W Partners have been appointed as liquidators and are working on the winding-down process. The charity said it is ensuring alternative support is provided to the families it helped, and expressed gratitude to supporters who 'believe deeply in our mission'.
