Charity chief executive Angela Salt said “we are acting now to secure the long-term sustainability” of the charity.

Staff cuts and other cost reductions are being planned as Girlguiding looks to work with funders and government to ensure the charity continues to receive investment.

Salt is particularly concerned that the pandemic will have a “disproportionate effect on girls and young women”.

“We are collectively living through a global crisis,” said Salt.

“Like many other organisations, Girlguiding’s activity and services have been badly hit. Our deficit is now over £4 million and we anticipate there could be further losses in 2021. We are acting now to secure the long-term sustainability of Girlguiding.

“The staff at Girlguiding are committed and passionate about our mission and the work they each do to help girls thrive and support volunteers. We are deeply saddened that we are in this difficult financial position, like many others as a result of the impact of Covid-19, and are now having to take cost saving measures to sustain us for the future.

“We are not alone in the charity sector in needing to make valued staff redundant and reduce costs.”

She added that the charity will look to ramp up its online support, through “virtual guiding”, as well as arranging meetings outdoors, to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

“We look forward to recovering, to rebuilding, to forging new partnerships with funders and others who share our values and our commitment - to investing in a bright future for girls and young women,” added Salt.

Redundancies

Girlguiding is among a number of charities looking to cut staff and other costs due to an income fall caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.

Last week the National Trust announced it is considering 1,200 redundancies amid £200m losses.

Meanwhile, Comic Relief is considering cutting one in four jobs.

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