Coronavirus: NI charity Action Cancer prepares for being ‘mothballed’ as boss warns tumours will go undetected

Gareth Kirk, Action Cancer’s chief executive, has said that if the current situation continues, then at the end of May he will be forced to “mothball” the charity.

He said this will be akin to putting it in an “induced coma” – but firmly pledged that he will resurrect Action Cancer in some shape or form once society finally normalises again.

He appealed to the public to donate to a fund which will allow him to resuscitate the charity after a period of dormancy, saying he needs to raise £100,000 for this purpose.

But in the meantime, with its services stopped, his thoughts are with the women who are going unscreened by his charity workers.

Mr Kirk said that the charity ordinarily must bring in about £4 million per year.

It receives no government subsidy, and about a third of the money comes from its chain of 18 charity shops.

The rest comes in the form of donations and corporate support.

But with the shops expected to shut soon, businesses reining in non-essential spending, and a lack of people doing fundraising runs, climbs and skydives, Action Cancer faces a major squeeze on its resources.

Mr Kirk said that the three main services they provide are – breast-screening; counselling, acupuncture and scar therapy; and education and awareness-raising.

They have all been halted in the last week or so (though some therapy continues onlines).

He has about 80 staff, and those that can are working from home.

Meanwhile others have taken over the running of the shops from volunteers, who are largely over 70 and so are in a high-risk category when it comes to coronavirus.

His charity screens about 800 women per month for free in its bus, and the charity particularly targets women who are in their 40s, who are not old enough to be eligible for NHS screening, and over 70s.

Out of those 800, about four women per month will be diagnosed with cancer.

He said: “We tend to pick cancers quite early on, quite small cancers, way before the lumps and bumps and discharges actually start to occur.

“It runs all year round. We suspended our screening obviously as a result of the virus, and obviously with people not wanting to come out or able to come out.”

He added: “Where possible we’re trying to continue using Skype and telephone counselling.

“But you can’t beat face-to-face, and a lot of people don’t want to use the technology.

“There are a lot of people who’ve had cancer, who are worried, who are stressed, who we try to help every year – but unfortunately we’re not in a position to do so.”

He went on to say: “See at the end of two months, say by the end of May, if this is continuing the charity will be totally mothballed; ie: we will put it into a state of an induced coma.

“This £100,000 is to resurrect the new charity. I’m not spending £100,000 just to keep it in a comatose state – I can’t do that.

“I’ve two goals – I’ve the immediate short term, to look after my staff and keep functioning as much as we possibly can.

“But overriding that is sustainability in the long term of Action Cancer.

“We as a management team are not going to be presiding over the burial of Action Cancer.

“It is not going to happen. We will come back. But we need the support of the public to do it.”

He advised anyone wishing to donate to the charity’s “urgent appeal” to go online to www.actioncancer.org/donate