WINCHESTER Youth Counselling is celebrating a boost of more than £9,000 from BBC Children in Need.

The charity announced a new grant of £9,984 to the group to support young people struggling with trauma and mental health issues with free counselling.

This money from the charity’s small grants programme brings the total invested in Winchester to more than £204,000.

Over the next year, the award will help fund a part-time counsellor to provide 11 to 18 year olds with one to one sessions where they can confidentially express their fears, concerns and explore any thoughts and feelings on their minds.

In addition to allowing counsellors to get to the heart of matters troubling youngsters, one to one support also helps staff develop individual coping strategies to meet the needs of each person.

Speaking of the award, Jill Guppy, project manager at Winchester Youth Counselling said: “We are delighted to receive BBC Children in Need funding, as it will allow us to continue providing a vital service to local young people in the area. The young people we see are highly vulnerable, with some having experienced severe trauma in their lives that make it difficult for them to focus in school or just enjoy their childhood. This funding will allow us to dedicate the resources and time for when they need us most.”

Pam Bacon, BBC Children in Need regional officer of the South and West said: “Our small grants programme is a great example of small sums of money delivering a big impact on a local level, and we're delighted to award Winchester Youth Counselling as they work to make a difference to disadvantaged young lives in the area.

“We’re always looking for quality applications for our small grants programme and with a recent refresh to our strategy we are now able to support projects for longer and make the most of opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people. If you think your project could benefit, we encourage you to get in touch and find out more.”

BBC Children in Need's chief executive, Simon Antrobus added: “With every grant awarded we are making a renewed commitment to transform young lives across the UK. Simply put, all of our grants – made possible by the generosity of the UK Public – ensure that projects working in the local community can respond to the needs of disadvantaged children and young people when they need it most.”