Children’s counselling group receive much-needed cash boost
Left to right – Ryan Ellis from Wanted Not Wasted; Helen Stevens NSCP; Helen Roy, Wanted Not Wasted; Julie Newman Quartet Community Foundation and Matt Croughan, NSCP.’ Photo: NSCP - Credit: NSCP
A group from Bournville has received a share of more than £22,000 in grant funding to help improve the health and wellbeing of disadvantaged people in North Somerset.
Wanted Not Wasted (WOW) is one of 10 organisations to receive a grant from the North Somerset Community Partnership Fund.
The group, which provides free counselling services to children and young adults in Weston, received £1,000 towards providing counselling and drop-in sessions.
Helen Roy, WOW co-ordinator, said: “We try to focus on young people in the immediate area, so Bournville, Coronation, Oldmixon. We take referrals from anywhere in South Weston Ward. We get to know them and build up a relationship.
“For boys, mentoring seems to be more popular than counselling.We’re seeing increasing levels of mental health issues such as trauma, which means the young people are struggling to stay in school. Some have serious family issues.”
The fund received more than 30 grant applications.
The panel, made up of more than a dozen representatives from the North Somerset Community Partnership (NSCP) staff council, plus staff from Quartet Community Foundation, awarded £22,860 to 10 projects: Clevedon Men’s Shed £2,400, Clevedon YMCA £2,500, KeySteps £3,500, North Somerset BME Network £2,300, North Somerset Intercultural Dance Association £2,000, Sandford Helpline £360, Somewhere to Go Ltd Housing & Homelessness £1,700, Theatre Orchard Project £2,100 and Wellspring Counselling £5,000.
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Matt Croughan, Chair of NSCP Staff Council, said: “We wanted to support groups like Wanted Not Wasted, as it’s a grassroots project actively sorting out problems on our doorstep by supporting children from areas of deprivation or who may have mental health problems.”
Quartet Community Foundation Philanthropy Officer Julie Newman said: “These 10 groups are great examples of the kinds of small, local, good causes Quartet supports in North Somerset. Many of the challenges faced in North Somerset include high levels of child poverty in South Ward, Weston.
“We would love to support more small but vital good causes like Wanted Not Wasted and invite local projects to get in touch with us to find out what grants are available.”
