Newbury Building Society's donation to mental health charity will help fund free online counselling sessions
Money will enable more young people in West Berkshire to get help and support
TIME to Talk West Berkshire mental health charity has been able to offer more online counselling sessions for young people thanks to a £1,000 donation from Newbury Building Society.
The money has gone towards funding the running of a new online counselling team, which offers free assessments and sessions to people aged 11 to 25.
The donation has enabled five counsellors to be trained in digital systems to improve their ability to conduct counselling sessions online.
Time to Talk West Berkshire charity services manager Tammy Willsher said: “As a local organisation offering free counselling to young people in West Berkshire, it’s fantastic to be supported by other local companies such as Newbury Building Society.
“In the light of the pandemic we need help now more than ever. We are extremely grateful for the society’s support. We were absolutely delighted to receive this donation.
“It’s a lovely thought that we are all working together to improve the lives of young people who live and work in our local area.
“This is a particularly difficult time for young people. The pandemic is without doubt affecting mental health in a major way. Additional funds are particularly needed at this time to help us meet an increased demand for our service.”
Newbury Building Society senior marketing and communications officer Sian Dennis visited the charity before lockdown and said: “We are delighted to award Time to Talk West Berkshire with a cheque for £1,000.
“Mental health is at a tipping point and with a second lockdown upon us and other Covid-19 factors restricting community outreach, it has never been more important to equip charities with the funds they need to continue assisting the local community any way they can.”
Time to Talk West Berkshire supports on average more than 500 young people each year with more than 5,000 sessions, with demand rapidly increasing.