A Hitchin-based counselling service has been awarded £117,040 by BBC Children in Need.

Tilehouse Counselling – which relies entirely on donations to continue its work – will benefit from the new three-year-long grant that will be used to provide professional help to vulnerable and socially excluded young people and adults in and around Hitchin.

Director Susan Barnes said: “Funding from BBC Children in Need allows us to continue supporting young people with their mental health and help to reduce anxiety by working through problems and difficulties that are negatively impacting on their lives.

“We can continue to support each person by providing weekly counselling with the same counsellor, where they have time to reflect and think about difficult emotions and have the opportunity to be listened to without being judged.” The charity was set up in 2001 and has 11 fully qualified counsellers who provide support to young people aged 13 to 19 and affordable counselling for adults who are unable to pay for private sector counselling.

Clare Cannock, regional head of South at BBC Children in Need, said: “We want organisations in the local area that support children and young people to reach out to us about funding opportunities and tell us about new projects that will make a difference to the community.”

Chief executive of BBC Children in Need Simon Antrobus added: “Each project will go on to make a positive impact on the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in communities across the UK who really do need our help, so thank you for making these grants possible.”

BBC Children in Need raised a total of £50.5 million in its 2018 appeal.

Across Hertfordshire, it is currently funding 32 projects to a value of £2,123,245.

Earlier this year Tilehouse Counselling recieved donations of £2,000 from Hitchin Round Table.

To find out more about the charity and how you can get involved, call 01462 440674 or have a look at tilehouse.org.