The Warwickshire Rural Community Council (WRCC), a well-known community transport and rural support charity organisayion that has served Warwickshire city in the United Kingdom for nearly nine decades announced its sudden closure due to severe financial troubles.
The charity confirmed on Monday that it had shut down operations “with immediate effect”, with its final day of service taking place last Sunday.
In a statement, Warwickshire Rural Community Council trustees revealed that the charity had undergone a “significant programme of change during 2025” in an attempt to stabilise its operations which has led to the ongoing operational collapse.
However, the charity acknowledged that WRCC had faced two consecutive years of financial losses, alongside income targets that were not met. The charity’s accounts, for the year ending 31 March 2024, show an income of £1.06m against an expenditure of £1.18m, highlighting a big loss.
As a result of the worsening financial situation, WRCC’s board members met last week and decided to shut down immediately, describing the closure as an unavoidable measure.
The charity is now working with an insolvency practitioner as the first step towards liquidation. WRCC confirmed that all staff members, 19 full-time equivalent employees, have effectively lost their jobs without notice. In the statement obtained by Charity Journal, they expressed gratitude to its workforce for their “commitment and dedication to service.”
“All trustees and our chief executive, Chris Cowcher, are truly sorry that it must end this way.
“We hope that our partners and other organisations will continue to champion rural communities, ensuring local voices are heard and their needs met in the future,” the statement said.
WRCC which was founded 88 years ago, has long been dedicated to supporting resilience and reducing disadvantage across rural Warwickshire by providing transport services. The charity has prided itself on championing village life, promoting sustainable rural communities, and helping residents overcome the practical challenges of living in remote areas and not having source of transportation neither finance for it.
Over the years, the charity has delivered a wide range of community-based services in six key areas including its Back & 4th community transport programme, energy support, village halls advisory services, housing initiatives, and more recently, Warm Hubs and the Community Food Fleet.
The closure marks the end of an 88-year legacy of community support to leaving Warwickshire residents uncertain about the future of vital and free transport services previously delivered by the organisation.