Caption: Barbara Ogg Schofield presenting Skiggle's Christine Singleton with cheque from Barton Grange charity bells.
We’ve spoken before about the impact the pandemic has had on the disabled community, and how many more people have been turning to Skiggle for vital PPE and care supplies that they’ve not been able to get anywhere else. Even as we go further into 2022, and things are suddenly ‘transitioning back toward normality’, there remain thousands of vulnerable households who don’t have access to vital supplies.
The value of unopened, unused items on Skiggle’s marketplace is going up by an average of 5 per cent each month and has almost doubled in the last 12 months. It’s quite astonishing. Some care supplies like gloves, spare vent kit pipes, or 60ml syringes have been in such high demand, that as soon as they are listed, they’re being snapped up as quick as we can facilitate and approve the listings. So, we’re under no illusion that our charity is undoubtedly providing a crucial service for people all over the UK. Traffic is up, users are up, more SOS requests are being sent, and the value of care supplies and equipment being rehomed is at an all-time high.
But herein lies our problem. When do we reach the point where Skiggle as a small charity – run purely by volunteers – becomes a victim of its own success? Due to the unique nature of the technology and back office systems needed to run the SOS emergency alert service, we know that the more people using the service, the more it ultimately costs the charity. We’ve also therefore seen our costs continually rise – almost tenfold – over the last 12 months.
Of course, no one likes asking for support or donations, and charities, particularly small charities like Skiggle, constantly face ongoing funding issues. But for us to keep Skiggle as a completely free charity for the disabled community, which has always been our mission, we do have to call on people, groups, and organisations to get behind us.
A recent Charity Christmas bauble partnership with the award-winning Barton Grange Garden Centre raised £2,138 for Skiggle, and it’s this type of support we’re immensely grateful for, but still need more of.
If you know of anyone out there who wants to develop a partnership with a unique disability charity, please do tell them about Skiggle. We’re only skimming the very surface of the UK’s 14.1 million disabled population and there’s so much more we can do with the right support behind us. Give us a call or drop us an email for more information, and your support can help us make sure Skiggle is always there when people need us.