HOME-Start Winchester, which also serves the Alresford area, has received an offer of up to £10,000 in match-funding from the Four Acre Trust.

Founded in 1995 by John Bothamley with profits from the building industry, the aim of the Four Acre Trust is to “support charities that give individuals, mainly children and young people, help in making the most of their lives”.

The Trust has supported other Home-Start organisations in the past with their early intervention work, including Home-Start WeyWater, which serves East Hampshire, and it has offered Home-Start Winchester the same opportunity.

However, to release this funding presents a challenge, as the family charity now has to find equivalent donations of £10,000 from new donors, with a minimum donation of £500, which must be received by the charity before February 1.

“Each year we receive around 10 per cent of our funding from Winchester City Council but have to find the remaining 90 per cent from charitable trusts, community events and donations,” said Home-Start Winchester vice-chairman Trevor Lewis.

“We work with the most vulnerable families in our community, helping them to overcome their challenges, stabilise their families and give their children the best possible start in life.

“These families have to deal with a range of issues, including mental health, the serious illness of a parent or child, multiple births and single-parenting, with many families being dependent on benefits.

“Each year our weekly home-visiting service offers a lifeline to around 60 local families, helping them to cope with their issues, to better manage their households, to grow the parents’ self-esteem and to help parents and children prepare for school.

“Helped by Home-Start, numbers of parents return to work or re-enter education or training as a pathway to work every year.

“We need more businesses to come on board, even for just a small amount to help us guarantee the future provision of our vital service, and these are some of the ways donations could help our work:

* Volunteer training course for 2017: £3,500 to train 12 new volunteers;

* Cost of supporting a family for a year: £1,300;

* Running a self-esteem course for parents: £1,000;

* Summer party for parents and children: £1,000;

* Christmas party and gifts for the children: £1,000;

* Training in paediatric first aid for volunteers: £1,000;

* Training in dealing with autism for volunteers: £1,000.

“Every donation that we receive of £500 or more from a new donor will be matched by the Four Acre Trust, making a contribution go twice as far, helping to give us an excellent opportunity to secure much-needed funding for the coming year and we need to try all avenues to ensure that we secure the £10,000 available,” said Mr Lewis.

For more details or to support the Home-Start charity, contact [email protected] or call 01962 852297.