Women’s charity Vida Sheffield has secured emergency funding to stay open until June after announcing closure its earlier this month due to financial issues.

Vida Sheffield primarily offers trauma-focused and gender sensitive therapy for women who have gone through previous experiences of abuse and trauma. 

The charity’s main goal is to ‘bring hope, recovery, and resilience’ to the 250 women who have sought their services.

Vida Sheffield announced that they would be closing their doors in March and has since opened a petition and campaign to save Vida.

Chief executive Karen Hague said: “Our petition generated over 27,000 signatures. A lot of those were women that have benefited from services such as Vida.”

Ms Hague added that the women who signed the petition told them ‘they do not know what they would do if Vida did not exist’.

With the attention Vida Sheffield received, the charity has received emergency funding and grants from many contributors that help the volcom, volunteering and community, organisations.

Ms Hague said that: “The volcom sector is more reliant than ever on the generosity of grant funders and donors – we would literally not exist without them.”

Vida Sheffield has also received match funding from the Brelms Trust, which promises to double the amount of every donation. 

Ms Hauge said: “The match funding offered by The Brelms Trust means Vida’s survival and probably the survival of those women.” 

But the charity still needs to secure the final 50 per cent of the match by June this year.

Since the announcement of the charity’s financial situation and possible closure, Vida Sheffield has been interviewed by major media channels such as ITV Calendar News and BBC Radio Sheffield.

While the media visibility led to emergency and match funding, it is not enough to ensure that Vida Sheffield remains open.

Ms Hague said: “This is still about surviving and delivering our basic service because we do not get statutory funding from national and local government.

“It would be lovely to enhance and expand our programmes, and we do explore those opportunities, but sadly, if funding is available, it ignores the fact that the basic services still need to be delivered.”

Vida Sheffield is still accepting donations and campaigning for their organisation.