This year, more than ever, NSPCC children’s services practitioner Heather Gordon has seen the value of the charity’s services to the lives of young people and their families in Swindon.

Looking back on 2020, Heather, who started working for the charity in 2008, says it has been a year of new experiences for her and her colleagues at the Swindon Service Centre.

The centre, which is based in Little London Court, Old Town, has been a hub of support for people in the town since it opened in 2014.

But this year, because of the Covid-19 outbreak, the support felt even more crucial.

When the country went into lockdown in March and the service centre had to close its doors, the team were faced with the challenge of providing support remotely.

The services delivered by the team include Seeking Solutions, a programme designed to support young people with a range of different issues, such as anxiety, low self-esteem and family difficulties.

Another service is Letting the Future In, which helps children who have been sexually abused rebuild their lives through a series of one-to-one sessions.

The centre also runs services for adults, such as its popular Pregnancy in Mind programme which helps expectant parents who are at risk of or experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and depression.

Following the lockdown announcement, Heather and her colleagues acted quickly to make the sessions accessible through Zoom or over the phone.

Heather says that a few weeks into delivering services virtually, it became clear the support the charity was offering was something of a lifeline to children and parents.

“This year has made me really appreciate just how important these services are to some people and it is lovely to be in a position where I can help,” she says.

“You feel like you are really contributing and you can tell that it is important to people because they’re always at home waiting for the phone to ring when you call them.

“That was definitely the case with children, they were always waiting, because they were stuck inside, they weren’t going to school and they couldn’t go out either.

“The support wasn’t just for the children, a lot of parents had their concerns too. A lot of children picked up on their parents being anxious, so I think the phone calls offered some relief and a bit of a routine when everything was taken away.”

In August the building reopened after more than 150 days, following government guidelines. This meant some children could start receiving face-to-face support again.

While thing felt different – due to Covid-19 safety measures being implemented – Heather says it was clear the centre still provided a sense of comfort to the children who visited.

All the children whose sessions were moved to video calls have now returned to the centre and have had extra session time to explore their anxieties and worries that Covid-19 made available to them.

“It was a huge relief to be able to get children into the centre again and initially it was a bit strange because the building has been made Covid-safe, and we work in a Covid-safe way,” she adds.

“The building isn’t the same as it was when they were here before but you could see the children would have a little look around to see what they made of it.

“Once they saw some things were familiar they relaxed back into their sessions.

"It was a great help that we had been able to maintain contact throughout the lockdown period, even if it was only by video link, as this meant the children knew we were keeping them in mind until they returned to the centre.

“For me it has just been great to see the children and since they’ve come back we have been able to do some really great work.

“I have to admit the children have surprised me with how they have dealt with all the changes, whether that is having virtual sessions or coming into a building that feels a bit different.

“But kids are resilient and these children have been through a lot and some of them have told me they’re happy to be back in the building with us.

“It has been amazing to see what the staff at the centre have done this year, probably more so than any other year.”

To learn more about Pregnancy in Mind, Seeking Solutions or Letting the Future in, contact the centre via 01793 683100 or email on nspccswindon@nspcc.org.uk

How you can help the NSPCC in 2021

The NSPCC first opened a base in Swindon over 25 years ago and the town’s service centre is now one of 27 similar sites across the UK.

Now operating from Little London Court, Old Town, a team of dedicated practitioners have continued to support children, young people and their families during that time.

As with all NSPCC centres, the Swindon centre relies heavily on donations as 90 per cent of the NSPCC’s funding is raised in this way.

Every pound that is donated helps to protect children and prevent abuse and, put simply, the NSPCC could not do the work it does without the support and generosity of the public.

As people ponder a potential new year’s resolution, the NSPCC is urging to people to consider fundraising for the charity.

Supporter fundraising manager Caroline Morgan said: “You can make a difference. Contact us and help keep the NSPCC Swindon centre going. In 2021, you can join with us and change a child’s life.”

To find out more about how you can get involved and help the Swindon Service Centre, visit Make a donation | NSPCC or email Caroline on Caroline.Morgan@NSPCC.org.uk