We were thrilled to learn recently that Home-Start Gloucestershire, a consortium of 3 local schemes (of which we are one), has been awarded a grant by the National Lottery Community Fund! The money will be used to expand services across the county, supporting more parents who are going through challenging times.
Emma Desjardins, Scheme Manager at Home Start North and West Gloucestershire, said: “We are thrilled to have been successful with our bid! This will really help us to transform the lives of lots of families in Gloucestershire.
Being a parent can be very difficult, especially when children are young. Many parents feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the stresses of family life, and some parents can really struggle if they are coping with issues such as post-natal depression, their own or their child’s illness or disability, isolation or multiple births.
In these circumstances, we can offer a unique service to families. The non-judgmental emotional and practical support of our volunteers helps parents to build confidence, improve wellbeing and build resilience, which in turn helps to give children the best start in life.
This funding will really help us over the next three years. However, we continue to rely on volunteers and fundraising, without which we couldn’t offer the same support to families. We are always grateful for support from individuals or companies who are able to give up time or raise funds to support our work – please keep this coming.”