Katharine Loveday: Kids Inspire

Katharine Loveday made a return visit today to speak to us about Kids Inspire. She previously came in April 2022.

Kids Inspire supports children and young people with mental health problems and their families, providing one-to-one mentoring, therapies, support groups and activities. They have been going 17 years and Katharine has been involved for the last eight as a corporate fund-raiser. She asked us to put any company that might support them in contact with her.

They are well worth supporting. In the last year they have run 7,343 sessions of various types, supporting around 4,000 individuals. They have a range of personnel, including volunteer mentors. Without their help many families would face much more difficult futures because of the delays in obtaining assessments and help from local authorities.

So far they have restricted their services to Essex. However, their programmes have been so successful in helping children, young people and families that the Suffolk County Council has asked them to extend their operations to that county. President Francis, who lives in Suffolk, offered to put them in touch with Suffolk-based people who could help and suggested a Suffolk company that might be prepared to support them.

In the more formal part of this meeting we inducted Hilary Terzeon as our newest member. She was sponsored by former Chelmsford resident Michael Birch of the Rotary Club of Sudbury. Hilary has actually been attending our meetings for some time as a guest. This was the first meeting when we were able to get all the relevant people together. We are very pleased to welcome her formally as a member of our Club.