Counselling service to close after 35 years

A counselling charity has announced it will close because it is losing its funding from a local authority.

Established as a drop-in service in 1990, Sandhurst Counselling Service has provided mental health support to people in Bracknell Forest for 35 years.

But now it has announced it will close by 31 July because the funding from Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) - which is around around 40% of the charity's total funding - has come to an end.

Charlotte Pavitt, director of public health at BFC, said the funding was always supposed to be "short term one-off" until March 2025.

Chair of the counselling service Dave Percival said, whilst he understood the council was "strapped of cash", it was "very, very sad" the charity would have to stop its work.

"We also fundraise as well and we receive support from the local church for the rooms etcetera, but [the funding from BFC] is the core," he said.

"Many many people at the moment are stressed, anxious, depressed... integrative counselling, which is what we provide, works by talking with those people and helping them understand their own emotions, their own thoughts and to rationalise those to the point where they actually feel able to move on in life."

He added: "It's devastating for the local community, because we have been a real pillar of support for them for a good long time now."

Ms Pavitt said BFC allocated funding for the service to tackle the increase in need following the Covid pandemic.

"The increase in mental health need following the pandemic justified a public health contribution in the short term," she said.

"However, the public health programme for mental health will now continue to focus on prevention and ensuring good mental wellbeing for all rather than individual clinical support."

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