More than 600 local children and families who need extra support will be able to access this thanks to a grant from Cambridgeshire Freemasons to the Kings Hedges Family Support Project (KHFSP).
The £15,000 grant will support KHFSP’s work with children, allowing the charity to provide activities which help children to develop their speech and language, and socialise with peers and our staff team, helping them to be ready to begin school. Free, healthy meals are also provided at each session, which is vital when many families who attend live on low incomes and face food insecurity, exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.
The funding will make a significant difference in the lives of children and their families by providing a safe space for children to play whilst their parents access support on a range of issues including mental health and wellbeing, parenting, housing and financial advice. Regular drop- in sessions ensure that families have access to help whenever they need it, allowing people to become more confident parents, to build new networks of support and to feel happier about themselves.
KHFSP recently carried out a brief survey to help identify some of the key issues faced by families who attend their sessions. 23 per cent of the families who took part are led by a single parent, and 23 per cent of people reported having no support from their wider family. 69 per cent of people were on Universal Credit. Food insecurity and energy bills continue to be difficult issues for a significant number of the families who attend sessions.
KHFSP became aware of the additional need for more speech and language provision in the wake of the pandemic, as children had reduced opportunities to develop these skills. Support in this area was also reduced temporarily for some time due to the pause of in-person support and the re-deployment of staff during the pandemic. The effect of this is that, as of January 2022, there were over 65,000 children waiting for speech and language therapy.
The charity embeds fun and easily replicable activities into groups to meet this need as early as possible in order, helping to reduce the burden on professionals and educators involved in children’s development. These activities help children to be more ready as they progress to nursery and school, and aim to prevent these issues causing long lasting impact.
The grant from Cambridgeshire Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.
We’re very grateful to Cambridgeshire Freemasons for their generous grant. This will make a real difference to the lives of children in Cambridge. The grant will allow us to offer wonderful opportunities for children to have fun whilst having access to healthy food and developing the skills they need to thrive when they start school.
— Hannah Chong, Grants Officer for the Kings Hedges Family Support Project
Tony Barrios from Cambridgeshire Freemasons, who spent an eventful morning with staff, parents and children at the KHFSP said:
I’m really pleased we’ve been able to help Kings Hedges with their hugely important project helping local children and families who need extra support as they look to start school. Children only have one chance to make a success of their education and this wonderful charity works hard to make sure they can.
