Supporting young people’s mental health through Richmond Voluntary Fund

This Children's Mental Health week, learn more about local charities working tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of young people. These are directly supported by contributions from residents through the Richmond Voluntary Fund (RVF), as well as other local support services available for young people and families.

Taking place from 3 to 9 February, the theme of Children’s Mental Health 2025 is 'know yourself, grow yourself.’ 

Over the last four years, residents of Richmond upon Thames have made critical contributions to local activities and services supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our young people, through the RVF. 

Below, we have highlighted some of the impactful local charities that have benefitted from RVF contributions. 

Richmond Voluntary Fund

The RVF has a long history of providing support to children and young people with mental health conditions. Since its inaugural year in 2020, beneficiary charities have included Dose of Nature, Off The Record and Richmond Borough Mind.

In 2022-23, RVF supported Off The Record’s work with vulnerable Richmond residents aged 11 to 24, who have a wide range of complex mental health issues. The project supported 56 young people with 448 free, confidential, face-to-face counselling sessions with a trained counsellor. Participants were surveyed at the end of their programme and reported the following improvements: 94% stated that they understood themselves better, 84% felt more able to overcome life’s challenges, 78% reported that their relationships with others had improved, 92% felt more positive about the future, and 96% said that counselling had definitely helped them.

In 2021-22, RVF funded local charity Dose of Nature, enabling them to deliver nature prescriptions offering one-on-one support to 35 young people, full-day workshops, and six drop-in groups led by a qualified psychologist for 16 young people, as well as individual sessions for over 25 parents and carers. Participants of the nature prescriptions reported a significant reduction on the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale, while those attending the workshops described the support as “life-changing,” “fun and engaging,” and “surprisingly crucial.” Dose of Nature is currently offering further support to young people with mental health issues as beneficiaries of the 2024-25 fund. 

The Richmond Voluntary Fund was created to provide an opportunity for residents to donate to voluntary and community organisations within the borough to support their vital work. We’ll soon be launching information about chosen charities for the 2025-26 programme.

Local mental health support available

If you are worried about your or your child’s mental health or are finding it difficult to talk about how you are feeling, there is lots of support out there.

Richmond upon Thames is home to a variety of mental health services for children and young people, including support for emotional wellbeing and mental health conditions. Resources are available for parents, carers, and professionals to help identify and address mental health issues early. If you have any concerns or questions, please consult your GP.

Find out more about children and young people's mental health.