How your money helps
All the money you raise wearing wellies on this years Big Orange Stomp will go towards helping vulnerable children throught the UK.
Meet some of the children and young people your hard work will make a difference too:
Zinnia
Spurgeons’ LA-UK, based in Littlehampton, works with young people displaying challenging behaviour who are already, or at risk of, offending. Zinnia was referred to LA-UK 3 years ago. According to Tori, LA-UK’s youth inclusion worker, Zinnia had a poor home life, was having lots of arguments with her family; she wasn’t going to school; and she had got in with the wrong crowd, meaning she was doing things 13-year-olds shouldn’t.
With the help of Tori and LA-UK Zinnia has turned her life around. As well as going on residentials, Zinnia attends Crew, the project’s weekly group for 13-to-16-year-olds who have suffered with depression. She also has one-to-one sessions with Tori, having a coffee and a chat together when she’s had a particularly bad week.
Zinnia says, “Crew gets me out of the house and it is always a laugh. It’s changed my life and made me a kinder person and more happy.”
Georgia
Four years ago, 11-year-old Georgia was plunged into grief when her Dad, committed suicide. Sharon, Georgia’s mum was really worried. “It was a big shock when Steve died. Georgia went from being chatty and bubbly to quiet and withdrawn. I
knew something was going on in her head, but she wouldn’t talk about it.”
The family were put in touch with Spurgeons’ Beyond the Horizon who provide free one-to-one counselling to children and families experiencing bereavement or loss.
Sharon and Georgia went to family counselling together. The project’s manager, Jeanette also visited Georgia’s school once a week to do one-to-one sessions with her.
“Every time I looked at a picture of Daddy I got upset, but the counselling made me feel better. Now I can talk about him without crying all the time.” says Georgia. Sharon says, “Spurgeons has been our lifeline. It’s a huge relief that Georgia’s had help expressing her feelings. Just because Steve’s not here doesn’t mean we can’t talk about him. Thanks to Beyond the Horizon, I have my lively little girl back tenfold.”
