WIREDGOV

With only a few days left until young people across the country break up for the summer holidays, youth counselling services are highlighting the importance of all year-round mental health support, with the support of National Lottery funding. 

Time to Talk West Berkshire has received over £375,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, to provide extra counselling sessions, assessments, parental support and a dedicated online programme to tackle the children’s mental health crisis. 

It is one of almost 4,000 charities and community groups across England to have been awarded over £203 million of National Lottery funding over the last four months*. 

The charity has seen a rise in poor mental health cases among young people over recent years, pointing to global events, the cost-of-living crisis, the negative impacts of social media and academic pressures as just some of the anecdotal causes. The UK is currently suffering from a mental health crisis acutely affecting the lives of young people up and down the nation.** 

It now expects young people’s mental health difficulties to be exacerbated over the coming school holidays, as anxieties around a lack of pastoral care, the removal of social circles, and transitioning to a new school, university or employment, are heightened. 

In addition to its counselling services, Time to Talk engages with communities to raise awareness of mental health issues and combat stigma, visiting schools and local groups, and offering impactful seminars, workshops and assemblies. Time to Talk aims to provide young people with early intervention to prevent problems from escalating. 

Tammy Willsher, Charity Service Manager at Time to Talk, said:“The school holidays can be a really difficult time for young people as they lose the vital support networks that they have come to rely upon for much of the year. Our service operates all year round, ensuring that children and young people can access support when they need it. 

“We strive to foster open discussions and share knowledge to create a community that understands and supports the mental well-being of young people. Our efforts are driven by a commitment to building a community where seeking help is encouraged and celebrated.” 

Thanks to National Lottery funding, the charity will also be able to continue its supported online programme, SilverCloud, which provides young people and their parents with access to a variety of modules aimed at giving them the tools to reframe their thinking and improve their outlook. 

Last year the charity was able to help 700 young people with mental health counselling, and over 110 through SilverCloud, and hopes to support even more by the end of this year. 

In The National Lottery Community Fund’s most recent Community Research Index, only a quarter of UK adults (25%) felt that there is good support available for young people struggling with their mental health in their communities, whilst just 3 in 10 (34%) reported that young people had sufficient safe spaces to connect with others.*** 

One young person to have benefited from Time to Talk services said: “At first, I didn’t realise how much progress I needed to make. But about halfway through my sessions, I noticed a real improvement, and from there, my progress just snowballed.  

“Now, I feel like a completely different person. I’m much more capable of handling life's challenges and navigating its ups and downs. When life throws me curveballs, I can cope in a way that makes me much happier. I'm genuinely grateful for this transformation, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I have hope and confidence for my future.” 

Tammy said: “This funding gives us the security to continue to run these programmes for the next three years. We are deeply honoured and grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund and National Lottery players for helping us to empower and uplift young people and their families.” 

The National Lottery Community Fund awarded 733 grants worth over £75 million to charities and organisations supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing in the year to March 31, 2024. 

Just one other youth counselling project that has benefited is ARC Counselling Service in Wokingham, which has received over £106,000 in National Lottery funding to empower young people to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing, levels of resilience, and increase their awareness of other support networks. 

Successful partnerships with sixth forms and colleges have allowed ARC to share their expertise, providing valuable feedback on current requirements and trends around metal health. 

Paul Cassidy, Head of Service at ARC, said: “Since the pandemic we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of young people needing therapeutic help. But, too often, they don’t realise that there is help available or that they may need support to access that help. 

“This funding from The National Lottery Community Fund means we can expand from just a youth counselling service to providing counselling and information and advice – enabling us to support and empower more young people to know and access their rights as they grow into adulthood.” 

Emma Corrigan, England Director at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we’re proud to support amazing projects like Time to Talk and ARC Counselling Service, which enable communities to help children and young people reach their potential. This time of year can be a tremendous source of stress and anxiety for young people as they make key transitions in their lives. Projects like these are vitally important, particularly during times when education based pastoral care is unavailable.

“As outlined in our latest Corporate Plan, we’re committing to investing more than 90% of our funding across our four community-led missions, one of which is focussed on supporting children and young people to thrive.”

National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year The National Lottery Community Fund was able to distribute over half a billion pounds (£615.4 million) of life-changing funding to communities.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk