Vital £240,000 donation will help Harborough charity launch ambitious new project to help young families

A Market Harborough charity which supports young families has been handed £240,000 to run an ambitious new project.

Home-Start South Leicestershire said they were “delighted” to be awarded the huge sum by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Based on Coventry Road, the vital grassroots organisation is now set to launch a bold new three-year scheme across Harborough District called “Play-Full Families”.

The charity will work alongside six primary schools to get behind families whose children have faced “difficult experiences or circumstances”.

A range of therapeutic play techniques will be used by project staff, Home-Start volunteers and staff at schools to help restore a positive balance in family lives.

The charity has been helping families with very young children for over 38 years.

This new blueprint is the first to focus specifically on children in primary schools.

“Families can face long-term or sudden challenges in their lives ranging from financial crises affecting income and housing security, mental or physical ill health, or bereavement and loss etc.

“Children can feel the impact of these challenges keenly. “Relationships in families can become strained and children’s emotional well-being can be affected with a risk that difficulties become entrenched, affecting their learning and development and potentially their future opportunities,” said Home-Start.

Project Coordinators Becky and Katy will help children in the school setting.

They will also work with the wider family at home after school backed up by a small army of Home-Start volunteers.

And they will help schools to further the skills and experience within their staff teams to continue and extend the school-based work of the project.

“Warm, non-judgement, emotional and practical help is central to all the charity services, with volunteer one to one support, from trained peer mentors, who have parenting experience themselves, at the core.

“More volunteers are being sought to help with this new project in particular,” said Home-Start.

Volunteers will receive full training to give them the tools they need to help children and families.

The next course will start on Tuesday September 13.

If you would like to help you can visit the charity website www.home-startsouthleics.org.uk or contact them on 01858 467982 or through Facebook - @Homestartsl