The donation has come from Redrow’s Hartford community fund, linked to the homes the company is building locally. The donation could pay for counsellors to answer 200 calls to Childline.
Childline volunteer counsellors receive training to prepare them, and a supervisor is on hand to support them during and after shifts.
Every shift includes a briefing and debriefing alongside other volunteers, and supervisors also give regular one-to-one support and group supervision.
NSPCC volunteer Chris Burrows, from Cheshire, said: “We’re so grateful for the money donated to the NSPCC by Redrow. On average, a child contacts Childline every 45 seconds and in 2022/23, our Childline volunteers delivered almost 200,000 counselling sessions, on the phone and online, to children and young people across the UK. Based on the population of Cheshire, we can estimate that our volunteers delivered around 3,100 counselling sessions to children living in Cheshire last year.”
It costs £4 to answer every call received at Childline and further costs are incurred supporting and delivering services to deal with each individual case as appropriate.
Costs to train volunteers are covered by funds raised in the local community through volunteer groups such as Hartford Young NSPCC, donations and bequests in wills.
Caroline Thompson-Jones, area sales manager at Redrow North West, said: “Childline is a crucial service that gives children someone who will listen, judgement free, to their fears, enabling them to access counselling sessions either by phone, email or chat line. We’re so happy to help towards training another volunteer for this charity.”
Childline is there to help children with a wide range of issues including emotional and mental health, family relationships, neglect, abuse of all types, peer pressure, bullying, body image issues, gender issues, self-harm, suicidal tendencies, exam fears or just to chat.
Many issues can be dealt with over time by our counsellors and other specific specialists within the NSPCC but referrals for further support from local services such as the police and social services are sometimes needed to be made.
If you would like to speak to Childline please call 0800 1111 or visit NSPCC for more information.
For more information on the homes for sale at Redrow Hartford, call the sales team on 01606 369800.
