The end.

I appreciate how difficult some of the comments that have been made here are to take, but please take a moment to consider this: I have worked with a lot of the staff at BB, and I can assure you that they were all deeply caring and dedicated people who believed 100% in the good work of BB and MF, and tried really, really hard to offer the best support that they could, right up until the very last day. Please remember that the staff were not just a bunch of strange adults doing admin in an office somewhere: these were the people who moderated the sites during the daytime; who offered support and counselling; and who dropped everything to help to safeguard vulnerable people in emergency situations. They literally saved lives. And even now, staff are arguing that the sites should not have been taken down so suddenly, and posting information about alternative support services on Twitter. Not one member of staff is slating the sites. Not a single one. The reason why staff have spoken out now about their experiences at The BB Group (which was not at all an easy thing for anyone to do) is that they want BB and MF to be saved, and that means making sure that the sites end up in good hands. Many of the staff believe - for very good reasons - that The BB Group (as it is now) is essentially an abusive and neglectful parent. To them, 'saving BB and MF' therefore involves transferring the services to a different charity, in exactly the same as you'd want a neglected child to be given a safe and supportive new home. Please don't let the negativity of the staff's comments make you believe that the staff aren't fighting every step of the way for you to have your services back. We need to listen to everyone's concerns and move forward together to restore the services in an environment which offers security and respect to everyone.

I tried to change it on Twitter to #SaveBBandMF :) thank you for the suggestion :)

All staff, I can assure you, want to see BB and MF back up and running as soon as possible. We too are not being communicated with and had no clue the sites would just be taken down so cruely without a care for the service users that depend on it. We are all rooting for the sites to come back but yes totally agree a new charity, or at least a new CEO and deputy, need to take over. People that care about yours and their staffs welfare and not just about looking good for MPs and other charities. No excuse not to tell the young people or staff the sites were coming down. It would have taken 2 minutes to email all users of both sites from the backend to let them know what was going to happen. So angry at this SMT!

I completely agree with Adam. I was a member on BB for years, since they were cybermentors and we could put hats on pig emoji's. They help so many vulnerable young people, and have saved so many lives with lovely volunteers and trained counsellors just like Adam, including mine. Everyone makes mistakes, granted they've probably made a few, but it's human and the impacts they've had on so many lives definitely outweighs that.

I think it's really admirable that you have set up this petition Sarah and shows how much you care and how the young people need the services. I really hope for the sake of all the young people using the sites that it can be taken over by another charity that are able to sustain and use the funding wisely. That is what it needs. Greavesy is right, the funding has been abused and used for all those different services he mentioned, that actually don't exist. What existed were endless, pointless meetings and away days and employing staff and consultants that were not needed and who were paid for with our BB and MF funding. That is why this charity has gone into administration because funders found out their money was being used for other things and not what it was given for and refused to make any more payments. The staff, moderators and counsellors on the sites and in the office are awesome as you rightly point out. They are caring and compassionate and loved their jobs, unfortunately they don't have the power or a say in how the money is spent. That lays solely with the senior management team who are clearly unable to manage money, put their staff under immense pressure daily, are unable to have the decency to communicate and squandered the funds on other things, this is who Greavsie is referring to not the staff you encounter on the sites so please dont think he is criticising the staff you refer so highly to, he means the people at the top who incidentally don't go on the sites.

Actually I was a user of Beatbullying/Cybermentors, from the start I originally way a user of that site but when I became too old I decided to leave and sort my head about before becoming a mentor as I had seen from the other side people who became mentors too soon didn't speak to staff in fact they then confided in users not to lose their mentor status. So I wasn't with it till the end but I was with cybermentors/beatbullying a very long time... I was with ReSync and FutureYou to for the help it offered NEETs and other young people around leaving home homelessness etc, but if you used that website you will realise it wasn't really used for purpose it was seemingly used as an extension of beatbullying for people who were too old for that site. No I wasn't a Mindful user I did attend the focus groups on line when they initially set up the idea etc when it was meant to be up to 25 hence knowing about funding issues and quite a bit about the site. I didn't use it as I learnt a lot that there needs to be more links with external services otherwise like now people don't know where to turn when a website that should be used in collaboration with external services goes down. I don't think places like Beatbullying and Mindfull should be the only place to turn it should be a place for advice but also signposting you to get the confidence to talk to GP/CAMHs in case of Mindful and the School or Youth Group in case of Beatbullying therefore when it went down there shouldn't have been too bad of a knock on effect. Also I didn't say they were idiots... My exact phrase was if they hadn't secured funding from the countries they had expanded into they were idiots... Which is truthful if you are already in money issues why launch a website in 5 or 6 new languages and have to employ staff overseas if they are contributing to the funding pot? If that isn't definition of stupidity or idiocy I don't know what is. Everyone makes mistakes yeah they do 2012 they knew they were in

Chloe also there is a little proof http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/news/content/18481/beatbullying_lost_out_on_major_funding_sources_in_2013?utm_content=buffer2697f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#.VFK-caPyhW4.twitter That the top people in the company were to blame they were hiring and expanding etc yeah some of the fundraising falling through isn't their fault but if it did why keep expanding?

Absolutely Adam. Amazing services that help so many vulnerable young people, much needed. Hope your campaign is successful and you get the sites back soon. In the meantime please use the Samaritans and Childline etc to get support. Good luck ;o)

Yes the key here is that YES it needs to keep going but in the right hands. I'd be devastated if this was to be it for BB but that's why we can hold out and hope someone with the right expertise can take it and run with it and make it better than ever.

I worked for this charity, many years ago. I was bullied out by Emma Jane Cross because I dared to stand up to her tyrant commands. I was given a nice little golden handshake and sent on my way. I am not surprised it has all ended in tears just surprised it took so long. Even though it was a long time ago the effects have stayed with me and just the thought of her name sends a shiver down my spine.

It's coming up with messagse on my news feed.. but not coming up here? and i got to read a bit of one saying about ones being deleted.. i promise you im not deleting them..Are you sure you not deleted them ?

Really hoping to get paid soon. So poor now can barely afford to survive. Maybe we should start a petition so the BB Group pays it's staff the money it owes them.

I have mentored on BB for almost 2 years. Throughout that time I have not only spoken to people about all sorts of problems (and of course tried to help them), but the whole thing was a learning experience for me. I learned quickly that BB was a safe haven for a lot of people who were struggling, people who could talk to a mentor and expect total anonymity, and someone who would listen to them and try to help them work through their problems. A lot of the time these people felt like they didn't have anywhere to turn. What really upsets me is that BB has not only treated their staff badly, but they have left so many people in the dark by closing down the site so suddenly. I know the people at BB had all the best intentions (because why wouldn't they?), but as a result of poor management the managerial staff have caused avoidable mayhem. Mistreating staff and leaving desperate people seeking help in the dark is simply not on. I have noticed how other mentors and users have been affected by what's happened recently, and it's upsetting to see that they don't know what to do anymore. There are other sources of help you can go to, and I encourage you to use them! Personally, I believe once a mentor always a mentor. The feeling you get after a mentoring session when you have made someone feel better when they were feeling crap is irreplaceable. I am proud to continue calling myself a BB mentor and if anyone wants to talk to me I am not going anywhere, I'm always here! jackb@mtcloud forever at your service xx

While I'm sorry for users that Beatbullying / the BB Group has found itself in financial trouble, I have to ask where the chief executive Emma-Jane Cross is in all this. Why is digital director Sarah Dyer making the public statements? The director of fundraising, director of communications and director of operations for MindFull, all left Beatbullying a month ago. That needs some comment from the top! As far as funding goes, it will be interesting to see what happens about the £700,000 ITV Text Santa donation because, usually, if money is given for a particular purpose - in this case it was going to be used to train more mentors - then that would be restricted funding, meaning it can only be spent on that project. Alarm bells should have been ringing long ago. Beatbullying has had a regular turnover of trustees over a number of years. Why was that? What is more concerning, is the allegation by BBG Employee that not all the cash for projects was being spent on those projects. I seriously doubt that was the case because the auditors would have picked it up. However, if anyone believes there is a problem, reporting it to the Charity Commission would be the way forward. It sounds hopeful that a larger charity might be able to take over some of Beatbullying's work but it may depend on whether there is enough money left in the kitty to fund it.

Asher, I have volunteered with BB now for over a year and you couldn't be more wrong. BB has helped so many young people who are desperate, with hardly anywhere else to turn. The closure of BB is the worst thing that could happen and would be a disaster for young people. The staff are fantastically supportive too.

If you are indeed an ex employee, I'm truly sorry to hear that you were treated so badly. I loved the staff at BB and that's frankly devastating to hear. But surely now it's our job to put it in the right hands? Or do we just simply give up on the young people that we promised ourselves and each other we'd help? For pity's sake lets do something about it.