Mental health charity Platform for Life’s counselling service is needed more than ever at the moment. A donation of almost £1,200 from our Kings Moat Community Fund, will help the charity provide 28 counselling or play therapy sessions to families in Lache.
Ceri George, chief executive of Platform for Life, said: “We offer families in Lache a local, easy to access counselling service, with a relatively short wait time. Our aim is to help families provide more stable and nurturing environments for their children and in the long-term, to stop unaddressed mental health issues being passed down from one generation to the next. Good mental health improves individuals' quality of life and opportunities and can also positively impact their local community – reducing anti-social behaviour; improving school attendance and participation; reducing reliance on other services such as GPs.”
“We know from the families we’ve worked with and reports from other charities, that the Covid restrictions have disproportionately affected those on lower incomes and we have seen a significant increase in demand for our service. With Redrow’s help we’ll be able to provide 28 counselling or play therapy sessions to those in need of mental health support.”
Platform for Life adapted its counselling service during Covid-19 restrictions, moving from face to face to telephone and WhatsApp video conferencing sessions. With the return of pupils to school, it is now offering a mix of face to face and remote sessions, with additional measures in place to protect both staff and clients.
Our donation to the charity is via a £10,000 voluntary community fund attached to new homes being built at Kings Moat Garden Village, off Wrexham Road, Chester.
Area sales manager in the North West Caroline Thompson-Jones said: “The impact of Covid-19 reaches far beyond those who have actually contracted the virus and has a huge effect on people’s mental health and wellbeing. It’s reassuring to know that charities like Platform for Life are available to offer support to families either in person or remotely.”
The request for funds resonated with us, as we are committed to the wellbeing of our workforce and have signed up to the construction industry’s Building Mental Health Charter. Dozens of our staff have been trained as Mental Health First Aiders to help support colleagues and sub-contractors and to reinforce that it’s ‘okay not to be okay’.
Our voluntary community fund is in addition to our many statutory obligations linked to the Kings Moat Garden Village joint venture, which will include a new primary school, healthcare facilities, shops, open space and affordable homes.
For more information about our homes at Kings Moat Garden Village, see www.redrow.co.uk/romangreen or www.redrow.co.uk/emperorpark.
To find out more about Platform for Life see https://www.platformforlife.org.uk.
