The High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, Dame Fiona Reynolds, visited Headspace, a vital youth mental health charity in Bourton on the Water, to see how community funding is transforming young lives. She met the dedicated team to learn about their life-changing work supporting young people from their final year of primary school up to age 19.
Funding and support from local groups
Representatives from the Gloucestershire Freemasons also attended the meeting after presenting the charity with a £1,000 grant through the Gloucestershire Community Foundation. Headspace provides a safe, confidential space where struggling teenagers can open up to experienced mentors. The charity currently supports pupils at The Cotswold School and has secured a three-year BBC Children in Need grant to help youngsters excluded from education.
Growing demand for mental health support
Paul Heming of Headspace said: "We are currently supporting 77 young people in our programme but there are 37 on the waiting list. That's 37 kids who are struggling and need to be heard. We're very grateful for the support of our local Freemasons but we need more funds and volunteer mentors to help us to help these kids." The charity noted that the natural beauty of the North Cotswolds can mask the fact that local young people struggle with anxiety, stress, and self-harm. Including their wider outreach mentoring programme, the team is helping more than 200 people across the area.
Volunteer mentors making a difference
Paul explained: "It's so important to listen to these kids to understand the issues which have caused them to be excluded. We can then support them to get back on track instead of becoming more and more isolated and alienated. These young people have so much to offer and we show them how to recognise that fact and build on their strengths." The charity relies heavily on volunteers who use hobbies or outdoor spaces to help teenagers find calm.
Arthur Arnold, a volunteer mentor, said: "The first challenge is to win these kids' trust. For whatever reason they feel they aren't being heard. It's like finding the key to unlock what's there. Sometimes it's a hobby they're passionate about. We can work with that to find out where life has gone adrift for them and help them to steer it back."
Lydia Lockhart, a coach and tutor, added: "These kids already have what they need, we just draw that out and give them a path. Sometimes being in an outdoor space helps them to find the calm that enables them to see that. Goose, my dog, always offers unqualified affection, which often helps too."
Urgent call for more volunteers
Organisers are urging more local residents to step forward and consider volunteering to ensure no child is left waiting. Full training and suitability checks are provided by the charity. Helen Sharman Jones of Headspace said: "We know there are many young people out there who would benefit greatly from a little support. Delivered at the right time, when it's needed, can make a fundamental difference to how the rest of their lives turn out. If you care about our young people then please think about becoming a volunteer mentor for us. We'll take care of suitability and training so there is no need to hesitate, just get in touch."
Community leaders praise collaboration
The visiting community leaders expressed deep gratitude to the charity for providing a crucial lifeline in the county. Ian Davies of the Gloucestershire Freemasons said: "I'm really pleased that we've been able to help the fantastic team at Headspace to make a crucial difference to the lives of so many young people in the North Cotswolds. I'd like to thank them for all they do, and also the team at the Gloucestershire Community Foundation who manage the Freemasons' Fund for us."
