A CHARITY is ending its annual campaign with ‘sadness and regret’ after it has become ‘financially unviable’.

Boxes of Hope Cumbria will no longer be running its Christmas Shoebox appeal.

The campaign sees people fill shoeboxes with goodies such as balls, skipping ropes, stationery items, hygiene items, woolly hats and gloves which are then wrapped and sent to Romania with a team of volunteers.

Since the UK left the European Union, it is no longer possible to send the shoe boxes without paying VAT as Romanian customs will only accept goods that are deemed as ‘emergency aid’ without charging VAT, explained the chair of the group Jonathon Robb.

On behalf of the trustees, Mr Robb said: “We have been fortunate the past two years to have been able to donate the boxes via a UK charity based in Holland, who have in turn donated the shoeboxes to People to People in Romania, VAT free, as both Holland and Romania are still within the EU.

“Initially this was for one year, but extended to two years, before the trustees retired and closed that particular charity. We managed to get through two campaigns during the pandemic, but sadly Brexit changes have proved a bridge too far.”

The charity’s partner in Romania, Nicu Gal, has been unsuccessful in finding a solution to the problem.

Mr Robb said: “The cost implication of paying VAT on the perceived value of 10,000 shoe boxes could be up to £40,000, based on boxes being valued at £20 cost, and obviously this makes the campaign financially unviable.”

In addition to this, it is said that the trips to Romania, which are undertaken by local volunteers to distribute the boxes, are ‘increasingly difficult and becoming cost-prohibitive’.

Trustees have been in ‘constant contact’ with People to People Foundation, a partner charity in Romania, through Nicu Gal, over the last five months, calling the decision to discontinue Boxes of Hope a ‘joint one’.

Thanking those who have been involved in the campaign over the last decade, Mr Robb said: “The Trustees, past and present, would like to thank each and every one of our volunteers, supporters, schools and churches from across Cumbria, North Lancashire and North Yorkshire for their hard work, support and commitment over the last 10 years.

“We would particularly like to pay tribute to Rosemary Webster, our founding Chairman, without whose inspirational effort, the charity would never have got off the ground.

“We have much to be thankful for and proud of – 95,977 Christmas shoeboxes sent to children in Romania and over £220,000 sent to support Tinca School, Hetea, Cluj and other projects run by People to People Foundation.”