ALTON Buckle Children’s Partnership has received a £5,000 grant from Denplan (Simply Professionals) to help it support families in the Chawton, Bentworth and Medstead areas who are going through challenging times.

Charged with providing early intervention, the Alton Buckle team offers family support for young people aged from five-19 living in Alton and the surrounding villages.

The grants is particularly welcome as its National Lottery funding ended in March and it has been forced to reapply to try to bridge the funding gap. It has since presented its case for around £238kin grants over three years for working closely with Home-Start WeyWater and Bushy Leaze Children and Families

Centre.

Based at the Alton Buckle Community (ABC) building on the Wootey School campus, according to Local Children’s Partnership (LCP) coordinator, Jen Hammersley: “The Alton Buckle Family Support Team works exceptionally closely with the schools and can provide families in need with one-to-one support in their homes, parenting courses and advocacy, equipping parents with the skills to manage feelings and behaviour, create stronger bonds and a more positive, stable home

environment.”

Last year the independent charity supported some 100 families on a one-to-one basis, with just under 500 people benefiting from that help. But it receives no financial support from Hampshire County Council (HCC) and has to raise money via grants to meet its running costs of slightly less than £70,000 a year.

This year its funding included £6,500 from Alton Town Council and £500 from Alton Beer Festival.

And, with 75 per cent of its referrals being made by schools, it receives funding of £10,000 a year from schools it supports in Alton and the surrounding area: from Selborne, Chawton, Bentworth and Medstead in the south, to Rowledge, Bentley and Binsted in the north. It also receives cash for supporting families at RAF Odiham.

It also hires out the ABC building to clubs and organisations such as KOOSA, which runs breakfast and after-school clubs and holiday clubs.

Alton Buckle also runs a Reach Out and Have a Go scheme that provides

discount vouchers that

enable disadvantaged children to attend holiday clubs, as well subsidising residential trips and interest clubs.

It employs two familysupport workers, and from September will take on a part-time administative assistant. Jen Hammersley attends forums to share and collaborate with other agencies, distributes information and seeks out money. She is delighted with the support from Denplan: “Our team has seen significant improvements in the relationships and mental health of both the child and the parents following our courses and one-to-one support.

“With the financial support we will be able to continue to offer our service.”

Tthe money will support families living within a 15- mile radius of Winchester, which ruled out Alton, but can be used for those in the villages to the south of the town (Chawton, Bentworth and Medstead).