£3,700 Growing Lives funding from the Trust gave FSW the opportunity to grow their resources and provide good quality games, arts and crafts, SEN resources, books and school equipment suitable for children from a few months old to early teens, including those with additional needs or from minority groups.
With the new resources in hand, FSW managed to engage with over 480 families in 2019-20, supporting 1,073 children to learn new skills and build relationships – the majority of children the charity works with don’t often encounter new experiences and opportunities.
A further Hope Beyond grant of £9,950 in 2020, enabled FSW to expand its support into Rye and the surrounding areas, which were hit extremely hard by Covid-19. The funding helped employ a Family Support Practitioner, Gill, who has helped many families in the area. 72% of people reported feeling less isolated as a result of Gill’s support and 67% of families reported an increased feeling of being able to cope in the face of difficulties.
Gill has not been able to setup and run sessions as hoped due to Covid-19, and the need for her support has been overwhelming. Looking forward to 2022, FSW is hoping to expand into the more rural areas of Rye to meet the need for support post-pandemic.
