Charity

Sixty per cent of all Childline counselling in Wales last year about mental health

Published

2 months ago

October 9, 2024

SIXTY per cent of all counselling sessions delivered to young people in Wales by the NSPCC’s Childline service last year were about mental health and wellbeing.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, Childline delivered 5,545 counselling sessions to young people known to be from Wales, with 3,342 of these about mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

Across the UK, Childline delivered 99,179 counselling sessions about mental and emotional health and wellbeing, equating to 272 sessions a day.

When discussing their mental health, some of the top concerns that were raised were anxiety, stress, low mood, depression and loneliness.

To mark World Mental Health Day (October 10^th), the NSPCC is highlighting these figures to show the scale of children struggling with their mental health and to remind them that Childline is a safe place where they can seek help and support.

A 16-year-old girl from Wales who contacted Childline said: “I’m convinced that the world hates me, like no one cares about me.

“I tried telling a friend how I felt, and they only wanted to talk about their own problems; I felt even worse after that. Thank you for letting me talk.”

It is important for children and young people get help with their mental health at an early stage – through schools or in the local community – rather than waiting until they reach crisis point.

That is why NSPCC Cymru is calling on the Welsh Government to ensure that children, young people and their families can access appropriate mental health support within their own local authority area.

The charity also wants to see investment in parent-infant relationship services, to ensure support for babies and young children who have experienced trauma and abuse.

Any child or young person who is struggling can also contact Childline up to the age of 19 and have a confidential conversation with a counsellor over the phone or online, at any time of the day.

Shaun Friel, Director of Childline, said: “At Childline, we know that growing up comes with challenges which can impact the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

“This is why it is essential that all young people know where they can go for support and the tools available to them that can help them process their emotions, such as resources provided by Childline.

“Whether a young person is feeling anxious, lonely, or depressed, we want to remind all young people this World Mental Health Day that they don’t need to cope alone and our friendly and welcoming counsellors at Childline are here for them.”

The Childline website also provides support to young people on the advice pages or resources, such as Art Box, which is a space for children to write or draw about their feelings. Children can also use the service’s Calm Zone, an area of the website with lots of tools and mechanisms to help young people cope.

Drawing or writing can be a helpful way for children to process their emotions, as it can enable them to express themselves and make sense of their situation.

A 10-year-old child who contacted Childline said: “My little sister is in hospital a lot; it makes me worry and I get upset about it. I have found drawing and colouring helps, I enjoy that, especially butterflies and nature.”

With this in mind, Lidl GB in partnership with Crayola is supporting the NSPCC in their mission to be there for every child needing support with their mental health by launching the Crayola Cosmic Creations and Fantastic Fantasy Activity Tube. The activity tubes – of which £1 per item sold will be donated to Childline – are designed to give children a creative outlet for their emotions using colouring pencils, colouring rolls, foil art posters and stickers, all with vibrant designs.

Charlie Day, CSR Team Manager at Lidl GB, said: “Supporting young people’s mental health matters hugely to our colleagues and customers. That’s why at Lidl GB we’re committed to building on the over £9 million we’ve donated to the NSPCC since 2017, however we can.

“We’re delighted to sell activity tubes in Lidl GB stores that provide children with a calming activity and help them to express their feelings. Co-created by Crayola and Hunter Price International, the product will raise vital funds for Childline, and with the contact details on-pack, will help ensure young people have somewhere to turn when they’re ready to open up.”

Young people can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or via 1-2-1 chat on www.childline.org.uk.

Charity

Flats for veterans to be built at VC Gallery, Pembroke Dock

Published

19 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to build flats for armed forces veterans on a former Pembrokeshire school yard/playing field next to veterans’ charity the VC Gallery has been approved by county planners.

In an application before Pembrokeshire County Council, veterans’ charity The VC Gallery sought permission for eight flats in two blocks of two-storey buildings, including wheelchair accessible flats, for Armed Forces veterans on land to the east of the former St Marys Catholic School site, Britannia Road, Pembroke Dock.

The former school, which closed in 2019, is currently used as the VC Gallery, itself an expansion of veterans’ charity the VC Gallery’s home in Haverfordwest, set up by Barry John MBE.

Documentation, through agent Pembroke Design Limited included a supporting statement by Barry John MBE, which it says “explains the issues that veterans face after leaving the services, the need for dedicated housing provision, the support that VC Gallery’s staff and volunteers provide and the gaps in current provision which the proposed development will help address”.

It added: “Although the development will provide and encourage independent living for its tenants, essential physical and mental support will be provided by the staff and volunteers in the VC Gallery as required, in accordance with individual veterans’ needs. Many will need a high level of support and the close proximity of the flats to the facilities and people on hand in the adjacent VC Gallery is therefore critical to the proposal’s purpose.”

Mr John’s statement said: “We want to create a unique offer to Armed Forces veterans in Pembrokeshire by offering up not just quality accommodation in a gated and safe environment but to also have a bespoke peer mentoring service.”

He added: “Working alongside our stakeholders The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the OVA (Office of Veterans Affairs) we have secured a grant to draw up plans and to look at how the secured land at the VC Gallery Pembroke Dock can be turned into a bespoke housing solution for Armed Forces Veterans.

“We have Service level agreements with the local authority for specifically supporting tenancy in veterans which will also extend to giving vital counselling services. Our work with the health board and provision for peer mentorship also gives us great grounding for effective help on a practical level for the veterans’ village but we will need a more designated package around the housing we provide to include both mental health and also maintenance (something we don’t have at present).”

His statement finished: “We think the need is great, we have the land, we have the skills for care and the ambition to help. It would be a project above all social housing enterprises, and we want to make a go of it.”

Charity

Lifeboat station treasurer dies suddenly after 26 years of service

Published

22 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RNLI St Davids lifeboat station is mourning the loss of their treasurer, John James, who passed away suddenly on Friday (Dec 20) after 26 years of dedicated service.

John played a pivotal role in the station’s management team, ensuring the smooth running of local accounts and overseeing the reimbursement of training expenses for volunteers. His hard work and commitment were instrumental in supporting the vital work of the RNLI.

Beyond his financial expertise, John was a respected figure within the wider community. Known for his warmth, professionalism, and steadfast dedication to the RNLI’s values, he leaves behind a legacy of unwavering service and friendship that will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

The St Davids RNLI team and the local community are united in their grief at his sudden passing. His contributions, both to the station and to those around him, have left an indelible mark.

The thoughts and prayers of the RNLI family and the community are with John’s loved ones at this difficult time. Heartfelt condolences are extended to his family and friends as they navigate this profound loss.

Charity

Welsh teen wins photography competition with ‘perfect puffin pic’

Published

2 days ago

December 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A STRIKING image of a puffin on Skomer Island in west Wales has been hailed the winner of this year’s prestigious RSPCA Young Photographer Awards – a year which saw the charity mark its historic 200th anniversary.

The winning entry was from Anwen Whitehead, 15, from Cnwch Coch in Aberystwyth, and announced at a ceremony at the Tower of London held today (Thursday 19 December) – a special and historic event which also celebrates the RSPCA’s milestone anniversary.

Every year, the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards invites young people aged 18 years and under to capture the animal kingdom on a camera or a mobile device. This supports the RSPCA’s mission of inspiring everyone to create a better world for every animal.

The judges praised the emotion and composition of Anwen’s Puffin photograph ‘Daydreaming in the Chamomiles’, marvelling at how tough it is to photograph puffins and remarking on the beautiful, diffused background.

Winner Anwen from West Wales said: “It’s very surreal and amazing to have won. I think this will really encourage me to keep going and push to make this a career. I was amazed at being shortlisted as a finalist so to win makes me determined to keep going and keep improving. I’ve won a few local competitions but nothing on this scale!”

Having only started taking photographs as a serious hobby last year, Anwen explained that the puffin photo which was snapped on a long anticipated visit to Pembrokeshire’s famous Skomer Island was one of her favourite photographs.

Anwen explained that she can quite happily spend 10 hours in a bird hide, or out in a field in camouflage gear at sunrise to get the perfect photo.

She said: “That’s my happy place. It’s very relaxing to be out in nature and away from screens. It allows me to slow down a little bit. It can take a long time but it’s always worth it in the end and the buzz afterwards lasts all day or all week!

“I’ve always had a love of animals. We live in rural Wales so I’m surrounded by animals and nature. I think it’s really important to try and help protect nature through photography by showing both the magic and the fragility of nature to help make people realise how special nature really is. I see wildlife photography as a tool for conservation by helping to spread the word.”

Remarkably, a number of photos submitted by Anwen were recognised this year. As well as being overall winner, Anwen’s puffin photo also won the 12-15 category; while her red squirrel image ‘Sergeant Squirrel reporting for duty’ was commended in the same category. Another red squirrel image ‘Peckish’ was commended in the 12-15 mobile category and her swallows image placed runner-up in the City Life section. Finally, her ‘Puffin Paradise’ collection came runner-up in the Portfolio category meaning Anwen had a whopping seven images shortlisted in the final.

All entries are judged entirely anonymously, and separately from one another, which makes Anwen’s multiple successes this year even more staggering.

To mark the charity’s 200th birthday, the RSPCA added two new categories – ‘Better World’ which imagines what a better world for animals looks like, and ‘City Life’ – which highlights how animals are all around us and shows how we can live harmoniously together.

Chris Packham, TV presenter, RSPCA President and supporter of the awards since its inception over 30 years ago, said: “As ever, this is a wonderful portfolio of work. This competition always attracts very strong entries and my special congratulations goes to all the winners and of course, especially, to the overall winner.”

Chris, who couldn’t attend the ceremony in person but recorded a special video message for the winners, added: “Photography is a great way of communicating your love for, your passion for, your fascination for, and your concern for animals. I think it’s really important that we use that as a tool at this particular time when a lot of animals are in trouble. Being able to use your imagination, creativity and ingenuity to come up with something personally unique and powerful is a very important tool.”

This year’s awards were judged by a panel of photography experts, including wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby; former competition winner-turned-professional photographer Catriona Parfitt; professional wildlife photographer and photographic guide Ellie Rothnie; and RSPCA photographers Andrew Forsyth and Emma Jacobs. And for the first time this year – Fabian Rivers, known as the ‘Dready Vet’, an exotic animal and wildlife vet and RSPCA ambassador who appears on CBBC’s The Pets Factor.

Fabian said: “It’s a great honour to be involved in the inspiring RSPCA Young Photographer Awards this year. The calibre of entries has been staggering. Anwen’s puffin image is technically great, it’s sharp and evokes such lovely emotions. There’s a real story behind it and it was a clear winner for me.”

Other prize winners included last year’s talented overall winner Jamie Smart, aged nine, from Powys, Mid Wales, who won Pet Portraits with an image of her cat titled ‘Not Impressed’, and ‘Ready for Bed’ which features an owl won the Better World category, followed by her kingfisher image ‘City Fisher’ which won City Life. She also secured the top spot in the Under 12s category with ‘Rise of the Gannet’, and placed runner-up or commended with a further four images.

Other winners included;

Austin Lake, 13, from Devon, won Pet Personalities with his black and white photo of his cat,
Chris Wardell, 18, from Wiltshire, won Small World with his silhouetted spider, and the Portfolio category with a selection of back-lit fox photos,
Arlo Rautenbach, age 10 from Cornwall, won the Under 12 category with his photo of a slow worm,
Nathaniel Gingell, age 14 from Hampshire, won the 12-15 mobile category with a photo of a group of dogs,
Daisy Pipe, age 16 from Dorset, won the 16-18 mobile category with her tomato wasp image,
Anton Poon, 17, from Buckinghamshire, won the 16-18 category with an image of a robin

Sponsors of the competition are Natures Images (wildlife photography holidays) and Camtraptions (camera traps for wildlife photography). Winners in each category were awarded trophies and a selection of prizes at the Tower of London ceremony and as the Overall Winner, Anwen Whitehead received a weekend photography break with Natures Images. This fabulous prize- the Deer Rut Special – includes two nights’ accommodation for the winner and a parent/guardian.

The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2025 opens for entries on 6 May.

The full gallery of all the winning images can be viewed here.