A prominent British charitable organisation has ceased operations with approximately £430,000 in debts and the loss of all staff positions after a representative indicated sustainable operations were no longer feasible.
Auditory Verbal UK, headquartered on Kirtlington Road in Chesterton, Bicester, entered liquidation on Friday, May 8, with an official statement confirming that no further activities would take place.
Established in 2003, the organisation positioned itself as Britain’s foremost provider of Auditory Verbal therapy, dedicated to ensuring deaf children enjoy equivalent life opportunities to those with typical hearing.
Its work encompassed guiding families through therapeutic interventions, delivering training to professionals via an internationally recognised programme, undertaking research initiatives, and raising public awareness.
The organisation has now shut down entirely.
The charity featured in a BBC One fundraising campaign alongside broadcaster Sara Cox in 2018.
An announcement published on their website acknowledged that like numerous charitable bodies, they had navigated an increasingly demanding and volatile landscape for an extended period. In recent months, despite meaningful headway in implementing their strategy and consistent delivery of high-standard, transformative assistance, the financial strain had escalated to unsustainable levels. They recognised that the rapid nature of this closure might be startling. This had been an agonising choice, reached with the utmost consideration for the families, professionals and supporters who had placed confidence in the organisation throughout the years.
Victoria Prentis, who previously served as MP for Banbury, visited the charity in 2022.
According to the most recent filed accounts, the organisation employed 30 individuals, all of whom have now lost their positions. The accounts further disclosed outstanding liabilities due within twelve months totalling £433,557.
In preceding years, the charity participated in a campaign fronted by BBC radio presenter Sara Cox and received a visit from former Banbury MP Victoria Prentis.
The organisation indicated it was making efforts to guarantee alternative arrangements for current service users and confirmed having assisted thousands of children through its therapeutic programmes.
A representative stated that this impact had been achieved through the remarkable generosity of individual donors, families, charitable trusts, foundations and partner organisations who held genuine conviction in their purpose, and expressed profound thanks for this support.
The charity indicated that although it had advocated for consistent government backing for deaf children, these requests had not been addressed. Access through state-funded services remained severely restricted.
They added that despite the wind-up proceedings, they took considerable pride in having contributed to a collective resolve to create a world where all deaf children have equivalent opportunities to their hearing counterparts. They expressed pride in having helped contest obsolete assumptions and elevate expectations regarding what deaf children could accomplish.
They expressed hope that the progress achieved would continue to influence a future where all deaf children receive the early, effective support necessary to flourish academically and throughout life.
The organisation acknowledged outstanding financial obligations and confirmed that those to whom money is owed would receive official correspondence from S&W Partners, the proposed liquidators currently serving as professional advisers to the board.