A CHARITY which provides a vital service to bereaved friends and relatives could be forced to cancel some of its work because of a cash crisis.

The Tees Valley and Durham branch of Cruse Bereavement Care has said it may have to refuse referrals from GPs unless it is able to get more funding.

Darlington and Middlesbrough councils have given the charity funding, but it has not received money from any of the other local authorities or Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in the region.

The charity has said a small amount from each of them on a yearly basis would help keep the service open.

Although at least 58 per cent of Cruse Bereavement Care's referrals come from GPs, they do not pay anything towards the charity's running costs.

Its situation is made harder as it is almost impossible to attract grants for day-to-day costs, said chairwoman Joyce Spanswick.

She said: "We're in a crisis situation because of our finances.

"We have done 700 hours of counselling for Darlington GPs alone this year, all of which is free.

"However, the GPs haven't had to pay anything.

"I've written to all GPs in our region asking for a £500 donation but haven't heard back from one as yet."

Although the charity is staffed by mainly volunteers, it does have three paid staff and also has to pay £7,000 rent a year, as well as administrative costs and travelling expenses for its counsellors.

Cruse has been operating from Darlington for 15 years and, next year, the national charity celebrates its 50th birthday.

Mrs Spanswick said: "It might be that we have to reluctantly withdraw services from GPs and let people refer themselves.

"I would be reluctant to do this but we cannot continue to provide the service without funding.

"It would be a pity if Cruse had to close, as everybody is affected by bereavement at some time.

"All of our counsellors are trained to the highest standards and we've never had a single complaint about our work."

On June 30, the Darlington Community Carnival has agreed to donate its proceeds to Cruse Bereavement Care.

Anyone who is able to help the charity can write to Cruse Bereavement Care at 2 Maude Street, Darlington, or call 01325-286777.