Children from Mitchell Brook Primary School in Brent said a very special thank you to players of People’s Postcode Lottery who have helped to support the running of mental health charity Place2Be in their school.

Thanks to a generous grant of £100,000 from The Postcode Community Trust, Place2Be is able to deliver its mental health service over the next academic year to pupils, families and teachers in 36 schools across Cardiff, Leeds and Brent, including Mitchell Brook Primary School.

Place2Be is the leading provider of school-based mental health services and works in 257 primary and secondary schools in the UK, helping pupils to cope with complex difficulties such as bullying, family breakdown, family illness, bereavement and domestic violence.

The funding will also support the recruitment and training of over 100 Place2Be Volunteer Counsellors across Cardiff, Leeds and Brent.

Volunteer Counsellors are trainee or qualified counsellors who provide children with the opportunity to be heard and to express their feelings.

Anyone who is interested in volunteering their time to support children’s emotional wellbeing can find out more here .

Director of Fundraising at Place2Be, Olivia Curno says: “Too many young people are coping with incredibly challenging circumstances, but we know that children are less likely to suffer from serious mental health difficulties in later life if they receive support at an early age, providing a cost saving to adult mental health services.

“Thanks to this support from The Postcode Community Trust, more children will be able to access support early on, helping prevent issues becoming more serious problems in later life.”