Children aged 0-5 years across Neath Port Talbot will develop their speech, language and communication skills thanks to a grant from South Wales Freemasons.
The generous grant of £59,764 will allow Building Blocks Family Centre to run our Talk2Gether Service, which provides dedicated play sessions to children with speech, language and communication needs. The sessions will also focus on helping children to improve their social skills, and develop their emotional wellbeing and resilience skills.
Services of this kind are needed now more than ever, with recent research estimating 1.7 million children in the UK to be behind with talking and understanding words following the Covid-19 pandemic. We want to help address this issue by giving early intervention support to help children build on these important skills and reach their full potential.
The grant from South Wales Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends from across England and Wales.
Quote from Shannon Chambers our Speech, Language and Communication Development Officer;
‘It’s amazing news that we have been awarded this funding. I have been working with children who have speech, language and communication needs for the last 6 years, and early intervention services of this kind have huge benefits on the children. Children are often faced with long waiting lists for speech therapy, or in most cases do not qualify for any further intervention at all, so this is a much-needed service to help children develop the necessary skills and prevent them from falling further behind.’
One of our Main Aims as an organisation is to improve the quality of life of all children and families living in poverty or at a disadvantage in Neath Port Talbot., so we are truly grateful that The Masonic Charitable Foundation is helping us to achieve this.
For further information please contact: Building Blocks Family Centre on 01639 710076 or visit our website www.buildingblocksfamilycentre.co.uk
Email shannonchambers@buildingblocksfamilycentre.co.uk or visit our Facebook page @buildingblocksfamilycentre for current and up to date information.
About the Masonic Charitable Foundation
The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) is one of the largest grant-making charities in the country. Funded entirely through the generosity of Freemasons and their families, the MCF awards millions of pounds each year to local and national charities that help vulnerable people, advance medical research and provide opportunities for young people. The MCF also helps to fund vital services such as hospices and regularly contributes to worldwide appeals for disaster relief. In total, MCF support helps to improve the lives of thousands of people every year in England, Wales and internationally. As well as providing grants to charities, the MCF supports Masonic families with a financial, health, family or care need. Visit www.mcf.org.uk
For further information about the Masonic Charitable Foundation, please contact Guy Roberts, Press Officer (groberts@mcf.org.uk / 020 3146 3311)