Northampton project awarded £97,000 to provide arts therapy sessions for vulnerable children

Pictured left - right: University of Northampton senior lecturer Lucy Atkinson, KidsAid manager Suki Bassi and HR worker at the University of Northampton, Jagruti Patel. The university then teamed up with KidsAid as part of the ChangeMaker Fellowship. (File picture from May 2019).

Today, (June 22), BBC Children in Need has announced that it has awarded funding totalling £97,020 to KidsAid Foundation, who are based in Northampton's Grosvenor Centre.

The funding award - made possible following BBC Children in Need’s 2019 Appeal in November - will pay for a three year grant, which will fund therapists to provide creative arts therapy sessions for vulnerable children and young people across Northamptonshire.

Through the provision of creative arts therapy the project aims to support the children and young people to have improved emotional wellbeing and increased resilience for a positive future.

Hellie Wright, chair of trustees at KidsAid Foundation, said: “This funding will allow us to deliver vital art, play, drama, dance and movement and talking therapy for vulnerable children and young people across Northamptonshire.

"Creative arts therapy allows children to explore difficult and painful life experiences through an indirect approach. Being angry or hurt is not always easy to describe in words but a child can put these emotions into a drawing, poem or dance and make it easy for themselves, and others, to comprehend and ultimately heal."

Last year, KidsAid worked with 40 children through group work and counsellors supported a further 104 children during 1:1 therapy.

Melinda Connelly, from BBC Children added: “All of the projects that we fund make a tangible difference to young lives when they need it most, and this new addition is no exception.

"During these unprecedented times, where many of our projects are having to adapt and find new ways of supporting children and young people in need of help, we are more grateful than ever for the generosity shown by our supporters, who made this funding award possible."