Swindon, 8 September 2009. Swindon Counselling Service has received a very welcome funding boost from the Zurich Community Trust.
The grant of £3300 will help SCS to continue to serve the Swindon community by helping people experiencing a wide range of psychological or emotional difficulties including depression, bereavement and loss, family and relationship problems, anxieties around employment, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, self harm and eating disorders.
A registered charity founded in 1987, Swindon Counselling Service provides high quality but affordable counselling to adults in Swindon and the surrounding area. SCS also provides training for counsellors, leading to professional qualifications.
Welcoming the grant, Mike Snudden, the Counselling Service’s Chief Executive said: “We depend on donations so we can offer professional help to all, including people on low incomes. Zurich’s generosity is particularly helpful at the moment because the recession has made fundraising very difficult whilst also causing increased stress in people’s lives. Relationship problems in couples and families are often revealed when financial and employment problems arise and Long-standing emotional problems can become more apparent. Professional counselling helps people start on a healing process.”
The beneficiary organisations were all selected by employees from Zurich’s office in Swindon as part of Zurich Cares, the company’s employee involvement programme. Employees volunteer their time to meet the organisations in order to evaluate grant applications and make funding decisions. The funds themselves are raised through a dynamic programme of employee fundraising activities.
“Commitment to the Swindon and Wiltshire community, where so many Zurich employees and their families live and work has always been the driving force behind our grant award programme,” says Hayley Melville, Member of the Swindon Zurich Cares local grants committee. She added “When reviewing grant applications we focus as much as possible on funding work which will have the most positive, long-lasting impact and which will help to change local lives for the better.” She added “This grant award will fund over 200 sessions which we hope will make a difference to many local people’s lives.”
People wanting to know more about Swindon Counselling Service should visit www.swindoncounsellingservice.org.uk or ring 01793 514550 to speak to someone in confidence.
