It’s been a long year for all of us, locked down without the distraction of events, village fetes or musical performances.

But for charities across Wiltshire, such as Julia's House, the chunk of income lost in the last nine months has been monumental.

From an online 'Christmas Cracker' event held in December to the charity's latest Seven Wonders of the World fitness challenge, fundraisers have pulled out all the stops to ensure their work in the community can continue.

But the loss of in-person events, and the closure of charity shops due to lockdown, has had a huge impact on the charity.

Mike Bartlett, deputy chief executive of Julia's House, spoke to the Gazette on how the charity regained its balance after the sudden plunge into lockdown.

He said: “When coronavirus first hit, like a lot of organisations we had a bit of an existential crisis and wondered if we would even survive this. We're a public charity and rely on donations.

"We were forced to close our shops and cancel our fundraising events, we had to furlough staff and totally change the way we work and deliver care.

"A lot of families we support were scared to begin with and some were shielding, so we had to find ways to ensure they and our staff were kept safe."

The board at Julia's House had "almost daily" crisis meetings when lockdown first hit in March - and began to cancel a number of fundraising events.

Events were moved online and the best possible standard of PPE purchased for staff.

Mike added: "We have a great online calender for 2021 filled with virtual events. But you can never replicate the income you can make with public fundraising.

"Our Christmas Cracker event raised a few thousand pounds, but normally we'd have carol concerts across Wiltshire that could easily raise more than £10,000.

"So we're easily only making about 10% of what you would normally."

As profits have taken a hit at Julia's House, and at similar charities across the country, the support from dedicated fundraisers and the general public is crucial.

Mike said: "An emergency grant was made last year to hospices, and we are waiting to hear if that will continue in 2021.

"That grant made a huge difference to make sure we could continue supporting local families and we, with other hospices, are putting pressure on the Government to continue that level of support.

"And the work of people at home to support is is hugely appreciated.

"It's really encouraging to see so many people take part in virtual fundraisers or play our online lottery. It's vital, without it we wouldn't be able to continue."

Julia's House provides practical and emotional support for families in Wiltshire and Dorset caring for a child with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition.

Support in their own homes and communities is vital to the charity.

To find out more about the charity's recent fundraiser, the Seven Wonders of the World challenge, then go to www.juliashouse.org/seven-wonders