A charity which has provided vital support to carers across Hounslow, Ealing and Brent for up to 30 years is to close, it has confirmed.
West London Crossroads Carer Services, which provides respite to those caring for ill, disabled or frail loved ones, supports an estimated 1,000 people across the three boroughs.
The charity confirmed today, which in a sad twist of irony is in the middle of Carers Week, that it will stop operating as of July 6 due to a lack of funding.
It employs about 70 people, mostly support workers, who visit homes in the area to give carers a much-needed break from their often arduous commitments.
The charity's chief executive Sandra Hawke today told GetWestLondon it was the victim of new EU regulations requiring local authorities to put all contracts out to tender.
She said it and other small voluntary organisations were not set up to compete for contracts, having previously relied on council grants.
She also claimed that the introduction of personal allowances, giving people with disabilities control over which services they access, had made it harder to plan its spending in advance.
"The frustrating and really heartbreaking thing is that because of government cuts more and more people need the services we provide but we won't be there to offer them. There's bound to be a gap in provision," she added.
"We've been trying to get the point across that in the grand scheme of things it doesn't cost a great deal to financially support carers when you consider how much it's saving (by allowing carers to work and reducing the burden on the NHS)."
Ms Hawke added that it was working with local authorities and the health service to help other providers 'pick up where we left off', and hoped its 'excellent' staff would be able to continue their important work.
Crossroads in Brent was founded in 1983 and the Ealing and Hounslow branches were formed in 1994 and 1995. The three merged in 2010.
One in eight people are currently carers and three in five of us will be a carer at some point in our lives, according to Hounslow Council.
A spokesman for Hounslow Council said: "We were surprised by Crossroads' unexpected announcement that it was ceasing trading, which we only became aware of on Friday (June 6).
"Since then, we have been working to make sure carers continue to receive support for an additional month, giving us some time to make suitable alternative arrangements.
"Carers affected by the closure are been contacted to explain the situation, and we will be informing them of new arrangements for short-break support as soon as we can."
There will information stalls run by private and voluntary groups, and workshops about meditation techniques, managing continence and planning your will, among other issues, at the centre from 10.30am to 3.30pm.
