A CHARITY is looking for help from the community following a boom in demand since the Covid pandemic.
Headspace, which provides mental health support for young people in the North Cotswolds, is looking to open a new wellbeing classroom in Bourton.
Opening the classroom will cost the charity more than £14,000 annually, but will be a 'vital lifeline' for those who need it, according to CEO Paul Heming.
Mr Heming said: "We work from Unit 6 on the Bourton Industrial Estate and Unit 7 came up, which is an ideal location because we have run out of room.
"We are a mental health charity and we work with 11-19 year olds in the North Cotswolds, providing wellbeing classes, counselling, and more.
"So far this year we have worked with 119 young people in the North Cotswolds but still have a waiting list of 34. Needs include anxiety, self-harm, school refusal, suicidal thoughts, trauma, and complex neurodiversity-related challenges.
"We work with schools, but the North Cotswolds does not seem to get the same funding for this type of support, and the area is desperately short, which is why the building is vital.
"We are currently trying to raise £14,400, which is the annual running cost of the new space, but the support should not be something that falls to a charity."
Headspace provides free counselling, mentoring and therapeutic wellbeing support to young people who are navigating mental health challenges in the North Cotswolds (Gloucestershire).
Hackings, which has a distribution centre in Bourton, has already donated £7,200 which will cover the costs to run the classroom for half a year.
The new wellbeing classroom will help deliver more than 150 sessions a year, allowing the charity to help more young people in the area.
Mr Heming added: "A particular concern I want to highlight is the complete absence of any alternative education provision in the North Cotswolds. Young people who are out of school -- some for many months -- have no local pathway for structured support or reintegration.
"To prevent these young people from disengaging entirely, Headspace has been piloting a small mentoring-and-tutoring classroom. The model works, and engagement has been excellent, especially among those at risk of exclusion or exploitation. However, we currently have no funding to continue it."
One parent of one the children said: "Headspace has been a lifeline for our family. Without them I don't know where we'd be." Whilst another said: "It's wonderful seeing my child look forward to their mentor sessions. They finally have someone they trust to talk things through with."