New ‘Lowdown Lounge’ opened to increase mental health services for young people in Northampton

A new building has been opened by a mental health charity to increase and improve support services for young people across Northampton.

The Lowdown celebrated the grand opening of ‘The Lowdown Lounge’, situated at the back of their current base in Kingswell Street, on Tuesday (December 13).

The space will facilitate their ‘Espresso Yourself Café’, held every Monday and Friday for young people and their parents and carers to drop in for support – as well as being used to deliver new youth services.

Sharon Womersley, CEO of The Lowdown said: “We are so pleased to provide this beautiful new space for young people in the county.

“The demand for our services has grown dramatically over the past four years, and we knew we needed to expand our capacity and offer a more suitable space for our vital drop-in services.

“This also means we will be able to offer exciting new services.”

The building was funded by The Beatrice Laing Family Trust, The Wilson Foundation, and the building owners, The Beckett’s and Sargeant’s Educational Foundation.

“We can’t thank our funders enough for this opportunity,” added the CEO.

Michael Jones Jewellers has also pledged £5,000 each year for the next three years, which will aid new youth activities.

The impact of the pandemic on young people’s mental health and wellbeing has created a need for a dedicated space to receive vital support and have fun, says The Lowdown.

The charity has seen more people being referred to its services, as individuals feel “unable to cope with the issues they face on their own”.

The Lowdown has been supporting young people in Northampton for more than 33 years.

They provide a caring, non-judgemental environment where young people are supported in their journey towards positive emotional health and wellbeing.

The Lowdown also offers free and confidential counselling, LGBTQ+ support, practical support, and sexual health services for 11-to-25-year-olds in the town and its surrounding areas.

From April 2021 to March this year, The Lowdown provided more than 12,000 support contacts to young people and their families, and supported 2,063 individuals.

Referrals to its counselling service increased by 55 percent from the previous year alone.

For more information on The Lowdown’s services, visit the charity’s website here.