MORE than 7,500 supporters have signed a petition launched to help a charity under threat of closure.

The Sussex Beacon has revealed changes to the way it is funded through the NHS has left it with a shortfall which it says it cannot afford to maintain.

The Brighton-based charity, which costs more than £2m a year to run, says it needs to have between £300,000 and £400,000 guaranteed within months to survive.

If it doesn’t, its services, which include a 10 bed inpatient unit, will close in June.

The news of the charity’s possible closure has been met with dismay and campaigners have vowed to do everything they can to help it.

To sign the petition, which calls on the government to step in, go to: you.38degrees.org.uk/p/savethesussexbeacon.