CHARITIES offering a helping hand to young carers and aspiring disabled footballers are among those celebrating after being handed more than £200,000 from Children In Need.
Solihull Carers Centre and Solihull Moors Football Club CIC have been handed £218,776 in total from Children in Need’s Grants programme to support disadvantaged children and young people across the borough.
BBC Children in Need’s Main Grants programme is used to award grants of more than £10,000 a year to support projects for up to three years.
Solihull Carers Centre has been awarded a three-year grant of £119,803 to provide support to young carers through peer mentoring and befrienders.
The project aims to reduce the isolation felt by the young carers, as well as improve their emotional wellbeing and hopes for the future.
Georgina Ward, young carers team manager at Solihull Carers Centre, said of the award: “Caring impacts on children’s health, social lives, education, self confidence and childhood experiences, ulitmately, with so many adult responsibilities, young carers often miss out on opportunities that other children have to play, learn and achieve.
“Peer Mentoring offers young carers choice and control in the support they receive and gives them more time and space to explore how they’re feeling.
“It opens up channels of communication and increases their self-esteem, confidence and resilience to achieve their desired outcomes.”
Solihull Moors Football Club CIC has been awarded a three-year grant of £98,973 to provide fully accessible football sessions for disabled children with a range of disabilities.
Mark Fogarty, Director of Sport at Solihull Moors Football Club CIC, commented on the award, saying: “The children we work with face a range of learning, sensory and physical disabilities including mobility problems, cerebral palsy, hearing impairments and other serious medical issues.
“These disabilities affect every single area of their lives in various ways including preventing them from taking part in social activities other children may take for granted, and making everyday tasks much harder to accomplish.
“This often leads to feelings of isolation, but by simply providing the children with the opportunity to take part, play and have fun really does go on to make an enormous difference, so a huge thank you to BBC Children in Need for their support.”
Children In Need currently supports 11 projects, including these latest additions and has invested £733,000 to borough projects.
