Our Volunteer Mentoring Programme receives generous support from Somerset Freemasons

Last week, Somerset Freemasons generously awarded Mentoring Plus with a grant of £66,000 to support our Volunteer Mentoring Programme, enabling us to train 48 adult Volunteer Mentors over the next two years, and match them with young people in our community who need positive role models.

Our Volunteer Mentors are kind and empathetic adults, who we recruit, train and then carefully match with young people who are experiencing challenges in their lives. Whether it's sharing a hot chocolate at a café, taking a trip around a go-karting circuit, or baking in our Riverside Hub Kitchen, the 1-2 hours spent with a Volunteer Mentor each week can make all the difference to a young person's happiness and well-being.

To mark their support, Provincial Charity Steward, Graham Puddy, presented our CEO Ruth Keily with a special plaque during a trip to the West of England Falconry Centre with some of our mentees last week. The grant will help more young people in our local community access the life-changing support of our Volunteer Mentoring Programme.

Provincial Charity Steward, Graham Puddy, said: "I'm very pleased we've been able to help Mentoring Plus with their hugely valuable programme for local children who need this crucial support. Thanks to Mentoring Plus, these young people show improvement in all areas of their lives, not least at school. At the end of the day, being able to take advantage of their education and achieving their potential gives them a far greater chance of making a better life for themselves in the future."

The grant was awarded through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families, and friends from across England and Wales.

Our CEO, Ruth Keily, highlighted the impact the Somerset Freemasons grant will have: "We're very grateful to Somerset Freemasons for their generous grant, which will make a big difference in the lives of the children we work with. Mentoring helps children feel happier, more confident, more connected with their community, and more engaged with education. They have better communication and social skills, better relationships with their family and friends, and feel more hopeful about the future."

With our Volunteer Mentoring Programme in increasing demand and young people waiting to be mentored, we are looking for more kind and empathetic adults in and around Bath & North East Somerset to volunteer with us and become Volunteer Mentors.

If you would like to help us change the lives of young people in our community, please join us for our upcoming training on Saturday, May 11, and Saturday, May 18, at our Riverside Youth Hub (Bath).

To find out more and/or apply to visit Become a Volunteer Mentor, or contact us:

Email: volunteering@mentoringplus.net

Call: 01225 429 694