Champions for Children success! Thank you to The Childhood Trust

This year marked our fifth year taking part in The Childhood Trust’s Champions for Children match funding campaign, and the need for such fundraising drives remains as great now as ever. 

Since 2020, the effects of Covid-19 have combined with the cost of living crisis, contributing to an increase in mental health need across the UK, and this has been especially exacerbated for those living in poverty. In 2022, 1 in 4 (25%) 17–19-year-olds in England had a probable mental disorder (up from 1 in 6 in 2021), with young people from the lowest income bracket 4.5 times more likely to experience severe mental health issues than those in the highest bracket. Yet research shows children from the most deprived areas are twice as likely to be rejected by NHS mental health services / CAMHS compared to their peers. 

Against this backdrop, we are especially grateful to The Childhood Trust and The Big Give for once again offering us the opportunity to take part in match funding campaigns such as Champions for Children and The Big Give Christmas Challenge (dates coming up, so look out for our emails!), which help us to raise funds from both existing and new supporters.  During the two weeks of the Champions for Children campaign in June we watched our donations double as you supported us online, raising over £21,450! Thank you to everyone who donated, helping us to continue providing vital mental health support to local children, young people and families.