Amber received £100,000 cash injection from Barclays

We are thrilled to have secured funding from the Barclays to expand mental health provision for the young people at Amber as they cope with the aftermath of COVID-19.

To meet the needs of communities as they emerge from the pandemic, Barclays is supporting the Amber Foundation with a £100,000 donation through its 100×100 Programme, as part of its wider £100m COVID-19 Community Aid Package.

This donation will help to fund and expand Amber’s work supporting young people with mental health issues. As a direct result of the funding the charity will be able to employ counsellors to work directly with young people at Amber centres. This work is urgently needed as Sarah Johnson, Operations Manager at Amber explains.

“During the pandemic disadvantaged young people have been among the hardest hit. Nearly two years of successive lockdowns, uncertainty, job losses and isolation have played havoc with their mental health. New admissions to our centres are displaying more complex emotional and mental wellbeing issues than ever before.

“We are delighted with the funding from Barclays as it will fund over 3000 hours of focused mental health intervention and counselling for young people along with extra training and support for our staff team. This project will improve the mental health and resilience of the young people living at our centres as they cope with the longer term impact of COVID-19 on society in addition to their existing challenges.”

Barclays launched its 100×100 Programme as part of their £100m COVID-19 Community Aid Package to help its customers, clients, colleagues, and the wider community deal with the unprecedented social and economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Through the programme, Barclays is supporting 250 UK grassroots charities with donations of £100,000 to deliver impactful on-the-ground support to local communities affected by the pandemic.
Nigel Higgins, Barclays Chairman, said:

“Our 100×100 charity partners have been working tirelessly to support vulnerable communities across the UK through what has been a difficult time. These charities have championed a range of causes, including tackling homelessness, food poverty or loneliness, and we are immensely grateful for their work in the communities in which we live and work.

“It is evident that the effects of the pandemic will continue to be felt by many for some time to come. Our decision to extend our 100×100 Programme for a second time reflects this, allowing Barclays to support 250 UK grassroots charities in their crucial work in our local communities.”