A counselling service supporting people across the Royal Borough and Slough has marked its 50th anniversary.<\/p>\n
The Windsor & Maidenhead Youth and Community Counselling Service was first established in 1976 by Churches Together.<\/p>\n
The service was known locally as \u2018Number 22\u2019, in reference to its former address at 22 Cookham Road.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe moved in 2006 to 4 Marlow Road in Maidenhead and the \u2018Number 22\u2019 name just stuck because that\u2019s colloquially how everybody knew us locally, \u201c CEO Emily Warburton told the Advertiser.<\/p>\n
In 2011\/12, the Youth Talk service in Windsor and Number 22 merged but retained separate identities.<\/p>\n
The organisation became a CIO (charitable incorporated organisation) in 2020\/21.<\/p>\n
Over the last year 50 years, the Number 22 has become \u2018a lot bigger\u2019, Ms Warburton, who has been with Number 22 for the past eight years, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started with 11 counsellors, we\u2019ve now got 220.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy have we done that? Because the need is there, the demand is there.<\/p>\n
“Why is the demand there? All the reasons that everybody knows.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe social cohesion, or lack of that, we talk about, Covid, post-Covid, financial crisis \u2013 all of those things that we about all the time, our clients really feel them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something about sitting with a counsellor when you\u2019re in a place of distress and feeling that somebody cares and somebody’s listening and not judging what you say,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
During the Covid-19 pandemic, counsellors delivered sessions remotely, and in one year the service saw a 98 per cent increase in demand from adults and a 78 per cent increase from young people.<\/p>\n
Demand has continued, Ms Warburton added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we went into multiple lockdowns and then we went into a cost-of-living crisis, so it feels like in the mental health sector that life has never really got back to normal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen those huge increases in that first year since Covid, but that demand has stayed really high.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat for us is our new normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The service supports people from the age of 11 upwards.<\/p>\n
A team of 48 counsellors work in 30 schools across Windsor, Maidenhead, Slough, Eton, Ascot and Marlow.<\/p>\n
Pupils are offered 10 50-minute counselling sessions.<\/p>\n
The charity sees clients come through a number of avenues, including self-referral, as well as referrals from GPs, CAMHS and other charities.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a choice either to come into one of our centres in Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough, or you have a choice to work online,\u201d Ms Warburton added.<\/p>\n
Adults are offered up to 12 sessions, while young people can have between six and 10.<\/p>\n
Nine per cent of the charity’s funding comes from the Royal Borough and the NHS.<\/p>\n
The charity also has \u2018amazing funders\u2019 including the Berkshire Community Foundation, the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust, The Prince Philip Trust Fund and Spoore, Merry and Rixman.<\/p>\n
The rest is raised through Number 22\u2019s own fundraising.<\/p>\n
The organisation\u2019s commissioning contract with the Royal Borough ad the NHS is until the end of March 2027 and the team are \u2018very much hoping\u2019 it will be renewed.<\/p>\n
Ms Warburton stressed the importance of the service, explaining that if those with mental health issues \u2018sit quietly in their room, that’s really dangerous\u2019.<\/p>\n
Over the last 50 years, the team has helped 36,864 people through 299,298 counselling sessions, with 730 counsellors working for Number 22 during that time.<\/p>\n
This year alone, the team has worked with 1,353 young people and 1,495 adults.<\/p>\n
The organisation also runs a project called Hope@22.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe noticed a couple of years ago that those adults who came onto our waiting list having experienced or experiencing suicidal thoughts were waiting longest to be seen because they need to be seen by experienced qualified counsellors, and so we set up the Hope project.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project is funded annually by the Berkshire Community Foundation and offers adults 20 sessions of counselling.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, the team marked its 50th anniversary at its AGM, which featured the graduation of 25 student counsellors.<\/p>\n
The team hired the Long Barn atNorden Farm for the event, which saw 70 people attend, including Royal Borough deputy mayor Helen Taylor and chair of trustees Kate Taylor who were tasked with cutting the celebration cake.<\/p>\n
The event featured guest speakers and saw attendees enjoy food, drink and cake.<\/p>\n
Maidenhead MP Josh Reynolds congratulated Number 22 on its 50th anniversary in an Early Day Motion (EDM).<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cFor 50 years, Number 22 has been there for the people of Maidenhead at some of the hardest moments of their lives. That is a remarkable achievement, and it is thanks to the counsellors, volunteers, and supporters who give so much of their time towards helping others.”<\/p>\n
Ms Warburton said the EDM \u2018feels like such a lovely recognition\u2019.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the organisation’s work over the last 50 years, she added: \u201cThere\u2019s so much to be proud of.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the community should be really proud.\u201d<\/p>\n