Local counsellors celebrate grant funding during a time of overwhelming demand

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During a period of overwhelming demand for their service, Lincoln-based counsellors at NWCH (Naomi Watkins Counselling Hub) are celebrating grants totalling £101,000.

The team have been awarded £70,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund and received £20,000 from The Key Fund – matching bids from the Community Interest Company.

This news comes only days after the Hub received £11,000 – by winning a share of £150,000 of extra funding secured by Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner for organisations supporting victim of domestic and sexual abuse.

The team at NWCH have been supporting 130 people a week throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, and were forced to put many people on a waiting list.

The money will cover wages and rental for the Hub’s headquarters on the Allenby Industrial Estate, and it has already allowed NWCH to take on two full-time counsellors and it means the Hub can go on to recruit more staff.

Chief Executive Naomi Watkins-Ligudzinska said: “The last few months have been very demanding.

“We feared the lockdown would exacerbate people’s mental health issues, including putting pressure on difficult family relationships and raising instances of domestic abuse.”

“We needed the latest grants because we are still saturated with referrals and we need more staff.

“Covid-19 affected our ability to service clients due to needing to work from home and, more recently, in a reduced number of rooms at our Hub thanks to the safety measures we have put in place.

“We knew it was vital to keep supporting clients who had been making great progress with us, but we also wanted to help others.

“The first thing we did was put in place online and telephone support, then we invested in screens and PPE to allow some face-to-face sessions at our Hub.

“We are really thankful to The National Lottery Community Fund and the Government for the funding, which will cover our wages for the next six months.”

“The money is also paying for the installation of a new secure online system for confidential case notes, new IT equipment for new staff and the development of an App for instant messaging.

“NWCH has a 25-strong team, which includes 17 counsellors. We took on four new people for remote working during the lockdown, but we need more staff now to meet the demand.”

Fifteen counsellors are sub-contracted, whilst Naomi and four other staff are employed.

The Hub also has two volunteers, one of which has been given a six-hour contract to help the team to process assessments.

Naomi stepped back from her role last November and became a consultant to NWCH – promoting colleague Charlton Blackwell to Operations Manager and she has since picked-up the Chief Executive’s reins again.

Meanwhile Charlton, a trained counsellor, will be boosting his skills and knowledge by taking up a University place at Salford, Manchester.

Charlton added: “It’s been a pleasure to be such a crucial part in NWCH’s development, so early in my counselling career.

“I feel very blessed to have the knowledge and understanding that being a Director has given me, which I am excited to see what I can do with moving forward within our field of work.”

“I feel honoured to remain in a non-executive role to help continue steering the direction of NWCH, as it will forever have an important place in my heart and my own personal development.”

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