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Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

The theme of this year's mental health awareness week (12 - 18 May) is 'community' which chimes loudly with the messages of two important reports published recently by 4in10 members, Home-Start London and Toynbee Hall. These reports, focusing on different stages of young lives, tell the same story: poverty and poor mental health are deeply intertwined. They also both show the crucial role voluntary and community organisations play in offering support, connection, and understanding. Read more in our blog here. 

Child Poverty Free Bromley

Less than a week to go until our event for Bromley members (or prospective members) on 21 May, 10.30 - 12.30 at Community House Bromley, BR1 1RH. Please sign up asap and share with anyone you know working to tackle child poverty in Bromley.

New Spotlight Interview with 4in10 member Heard

We are very pleased to be able to share with you the latest in our ongoing series of spotlight interviews, this time with long-standing member Heard. Make sure you read right to the bottom of the newsletter to find out about their work or just click here.

Best wishes

Katherine, Emily and Maddie  

Calls to Action

• Save the Children have a new MP action which asks for the government to scrap the two-child limit. Please take a minute or two to send it - this is the single most effective thing the Government can do to stop child poverty levels rising.  

• The Magpie Project are asking people to share their experience of living in temporary accommodation without a kitchen by completing their anonymous survey  Please share with anyone in your networks who may be keen to take part. 
• Young Roots are asking people to contact their MPs and ask them to vote in favour of amendment NC27 to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. A template letter can be downloaded here.
• Youth Homeless Chapter are pulling together a book full of young people’s stories (alongside some useful statistics and helpful suggestions) to make sure young people's experiences and needs are included in the government’s plans. They are therefore asking people to share their story and tell us why you care about young people being included.
• The Advice Services Alliance (ASA) is calling for evidence on solutions to recruitment, retention, training, and support issues in London's advice sector. The online form is short, and you do not have to answer all questions. It should only take 10-15 minutes – obviously depending on what you have to say! 

4in10 Events: free training, information and advice and networking opportunities

LESS THAN A WEEK TO GO! - Child Poverty Free Bromley

21st May 2025 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM

In person - free

4 in10 is hosting an in-person two-hour event for current or prospective members of London's Child Poverty Network.

The purpose of this event will be to provide local organisations across Bromley with up to date information on the context of child poverty across the borough. We will highlight growing or emerging challenges as well as provide an overview of the training and support that 4in10 provides and our current activities. There will also be an opportunity to meet or catch up with local organisations in the network; finding out who might be working on similar issues in neighbouring communities. 

We are extremely grateful to our friends at Bromley Experts by Experience for helping to arrange the event and for Community House Bromley for hosting us. 

Training and Events

• London Youth are delivering Trusted Youth Allies Training – equip yourself with the skills to support young people, victims, and witnesses of crime. Build confidence in safeguarding, responding to disclosures, and providing the right support on various dates over May and June
• Voluntary Action Islington are hosting the latest of their Local Wellbeing Network Events:
  • North - Thu 22 May 2025 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
  • South - Tue 27 May 2025 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM 
• Trussell are hosting a Guarantee Our Essentials mass Lobby Day on Wed, 18 June in Westminster, London SW1 - specific venue to be confirmed. Arrival will be from 10.30am and the day will end between 4pm-6pm depending on MP time
• HEAR network are hosting a workshop on 'digital inclusion for disabled volunteers' as part of 40th anniversary of volunteers week on Thurs, June 5 · 12:30 - 4pm at Voluntary Action Islington,200A Pentonville Road N1 9JP. This practical workshop provides key insights into how disabled volunteers access and use digital technologies and equips participants with the skills and knowledge to improve digital accessibility and inclusion for disabled volunteers.
• Clean Slate Ltd are hosting a 2 day workshop on '7 Signs' employment & skills workshop for jobseekers and the second day is May 21st 9:30am - 3:00pm at Waddon Leisure Centre, Purley Way, Croydon CR0 4RG

Reports, Data and Resources

• Save Our Local Safety Net campaign group have published the findings of their inquiry on the future of local welfare and crisis support.
• Child Poverty Action Group have released a report called 'The minimum cost of education in the UK' and have produced a summary  here.
• NCVO have produced a report called 'The Power of Small' on the impact of small charities.
• Home-Start London have produced a report called 'Holding it Together - Money worries and emotional strain' where London families share their experiences.
• Trust for London have produced an analysis of 'London's problem with in-work poverty'.
• St Vincent de Paul Society have released a report called 'The hidden crisis of in-work poverty - a frontline perspective'
• Ambitious about Autism have released a report called 'Autism in Education Report'
• Young Roots have released a video called Like Starting Life from Scratch

Jobs and Trustee Vacancies 

Funding Opportunities

Sir Halley Stewart Trust

The Sir Halley Stewart Trust has a particular focus on supporting innovative research projects and new pioneering development projects, primarily through the provision of salary costs.

It funds medical, social and religious projects, with education being a theme that runs across all three grant-making areas.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss prospective applications with the Trust in advance.

The 9 October 2025 round is open to new applications. Currently, this grant round is due to close on 30 June 2025, but may need to close earlier due to the volume of applications being received. 

Magdalen Hospital Trust 

Magdalen Hospital Trust funds charities with an income under £150,000 working with vulnerable children and young adults, especially those at risk of sexual and other forms of exploitation. One-off grants to covers project costs which could include: training for work and personal development; clubs and play schemes; safeguarding education; mental health support and counselling; emergency care.

Submission dates for applications this year are:

For July meeting between 19th May and 20th June 2025
For November meeting between 1st and 31st October 2025 

D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust 

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust funds United Kingdom Registered Charities operating in the UK in the fields of the advancement of the arts, health and medical welfare and environmental protection or improvement – please read specific areas of interest and priorities for support in our Downloadable Guidelines

The Trustees will consider applications for core costs or projects and are very conscious of the work involved in applying for a grant and encourage charities to consider whether their work aligns with the Trust’s priorities for the next three years before submitting an application. 

Thrive LDN  

As part of Thrive LDN’s Work and Health workstream, with support and funding from the Greater London Authority, they are seeking to develop and co-design two projects aimed at promoting positive mental health through employment and enhancing economic wellbeing across the capital.  

They are therefore inviting submissions for proposals across two specifications:

1.Co-develop a London regional campaign to challenge stigma and shame associated with poverty and financial hardship. Thrive LDN is seeking to commission up to £20,000 (inclusive of VAT) in funding to support this work. For more information please see here.

2. Co-develop an informative mini-series focusing on financial wellbeing checks to support the better integration of money guidance and mental health support. Thrive LDN is seeking to commission up to £30,000 (inclusive of VAT) in funding to support this work. For more information please see here.

Timetable is as follows:

• Invitation to quote closes: Tuesday, 27 May, 12pm.  
• Notify Bidders of outcome: week ending Friday 30 May 2025  
• Delivery window: Begins early June 2025 

Spotlight Interview with Beck and Aishah from Heard

Heard is a charity that works with people and the media to inspire content and communication that changes hearts and minds. On a fundamental level, good communication means being heard and feeling heard. Using insights from research and our 15 years experience of supporting communicators, we help storytellers build their confidence, land their message and engage audiences. Our work has reached millions of people in their living rooms and on their newsfeeds.

1.   How are you helping to tackle child poverty in London?

Heard has been supporting organisations and campaigners working on a range of social issues including child poverty. We do this through our consultancy and training offers for sector partners andcampaigners with first hand experience, and through our bespoke workshops for the TV and entertainment industry. Our mission is to create conversations about social issues that change minds and develop the conditions for lasting social change. The long-term effects are two-fold: a public that is more receptive to and approving of policy change, and a new generation of individuals who feel inspired to act on our most urgent issues.

Becka – I hope I help by campaigning and raising awareness. I am more than happy to speak out about things that I see are unjust and I don’t mind sharing my personal experiences. I think others can feel silenced by stigma and shame so I believe it’s important to shine a light and make a difference where you can.

2.   Tell us something you are excited about?

Becka – I’m excited that there are more conversations happening around child poverty and ways to tackle it and I’m really very hopeful for the future. 

Heard has also recently started a new piece of work exploring how a narrative change approach, informed by lived experience, can shift cultural perceptions of our economy. Often messages about economic change delivered by academics and people with economic privilege are limited in effectiveness. The majority of the country will relate more to people who share in their lived experiences of financial hardship and other forms of economic injustice. These are the people who should lead a new story about what our economy could be, and the systemic changes that need to happen to bring that change about. We’re looking for lived experience consultants to help us explore this and create a set of framing recommendations about the economy to share with other campaigners, partners and organisations in the ecosystem. If you’re interested in finding out more, please email aishah on aishah@heard.org.uk 

3.   Share with our members something positive about your organisation’s achievement or service?

Becka – the best thing about this organisation is that it empowers people to tell their story bravely and it supports them throughout the process and helps to frame the narrative so we all feel safe in our work.

Together with other lived experience consultants, we co-designed the digital version of Heard’s poverty focussed ‘Communication That Works’ course. The course itself is a blend of self-directed learning on an online platform with live workshops running over several weeks covering ways to effectively frame communications on poverty and tools to keep safe when sharing stories in interviews and beyond. We ran a successful pilot at the end of last year with Becka brilliantly facilitating our live workshops. We’ll be making final tweaks before going live this summer.

 “This Heard Training course has been profoundly informative and impactful, not only in reshaping my approach as a communications professional but also in influencing how I think about and discuss social issues in all areas of my life. The trainers were knowledgeable, confident and excellent facilitators. The video content was clear, easily digestible and engaging. Overall, the program was truly transformative.” – Fern Bain Smith, Marylebone Project

4.   What can other network members learn from you or find out more about through you?

Becka- They can learn from Heard’s example how to be a champion for people with lived experience 

Becka is an amazing, energetic and thoughtful facilitator – reach out if you require someone sensitive and engaging!  

5.   What would most help you achieve your goals?

Becka – Funding, opportunities, awareness, more people fighting the good fight and they can start by attending the training and being mindful and empowered advocates. 

6.   Why did you join 4in10? What do you enjoy about being part of the 4in10 network?

Narrative change requires joined-up approaches – and we love being able to work with 4in10 and its members. The Challenge Poverty Weeks were great examples of this in action! If anyone would like to connect and chat about how we can collaborate, please do =D 

You are welcome to pass this newsletter onto your networks. We welcome new members and although much of what we do is available to members and non-members, members are the first to know and get first chance to book training and so on.

As well as your reports, news and data, please send us information about small local grant givers, discounts and vouchers available, new support services, in fact anything that might help alleviate the impact of poverty in small ways and support other organisations to do their work. We will continue to demand systemic change but hope that these tips will be of immediate use. Anything you can share send it our way!

Check your entry on the 4in10 database of all voluntary organisations changing and challenging the impact of poverty on London’s children and their families. Let us know of any errors or changes you would like and please tell us about any organisations we may have missed.

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