Horse rescue charity Bransby Horses has put 17 jobs at risk of redundancy as it works to fill a predicted £2.5m black hole in its finances.
CEO Jo Snell said: “Like many other charities, we’ve seen our running costs rise exponentially in recent years due to various external factors including soaring food and energy prices and increasing rates of pay in the employment market. As a result, the cost of delivering our equine welfare and estates work across our two sites, Bransby and Barlings, has risen by over 50% since 2018.
“Despite the incredible generosity of our supporters, we’ve unfortunately seen the gap between our expenditure and our income widening in recent years, to the point where we are currently forecasting an unsustainable £2.5m deficit this year.”
She said the organisation had begun to address this mismatch several years ago be introducing several measures aimed at lowering costs. ” However, while these measures delivered £450,000 in savings over an 18-month period, it became clear that more action was needed to address the ever-widening gap. Consequently, we launched a comprehensive review of our operations in November 2023.
“As a result, we’ve sadly identified 17 roles at all levels within the organisation, including our senior leadership, equine welfare and support service teams, that are at risk of potential redundancy.”
She said the organisation was devastated that rising costs had led to this position, and was committed to doing everything it could to support everyone affected through this difficult process.
She added: “While the new operating model will significantly reduce the £2.5m deficit, it will not eliminate it. As a second phase of this project, we’re reviewing all charity assets and facilities with our new structure in mind to identify any further cost reduction or income generation opportunities. This stage of the process is already under way, and we anticipate it will be completed by the end of this year.”
The award-winning Visitor Centre in Bransby will remain open as usual (five days per week, including the Café, from Wednesday through to Sunday), providing the opportunity to learn about equine welfare and meet some of the hundreds of horses, donkeys, ponies and mules currently homed at the site.
