Loughborough Homeless Charity Awarded Three Years of BBC Children in Need Funding

Loughborough-based charity The Bridge (East Midlands) has been awarded new funding from BBC Children in Need, to expand one of its existing services over more locations.

The £132,443 grant, which will fund the organisation’s ‘talk²sort’ Mediation Service for the next three years, will enable the programme to become available across Leicester City and Rutland, as well as its existing provision across Leicestershire.

‘talk²sort’ is a free and impartial mediation service for young people aged between 11 and 19, which aims to reduce the likelihood of vulnerable young people facing homelessness in the future.

By providing support to these young people and their families, who may be having issues at home or in their relationships, ‘talk²sort’ provides a neutral space to resolve conflict.

Working through obstacles such as communication breakdown, anger issues, behavioural problems, substance abuse and more, ‘talk²sort’ can have substantial benefits on individuals’ mental health and well-being, leading to a more positive future.

Peter Davey, Chief Officer at The Bridge, said:

“We’re delighted to receive this continuation of funding from BBC Children in Need, which will enable us to work with more young people and their families.

“BBC Children in Need have shown a real belief in the work that we undertake, to ensure that young people are empowered to make positive choices and improve their overall well-being.”

Alongside this, The Bridge, which provides a range of support services to local people in housing crisis, has also been recently awarded a £24,498.70 grant from the Police Crime Commissioner for a year-long pilot service to support young people with repeat missing episodes. The pilot is live from 1 April 2019.