A SUSSEX-BASED charity, Family Support Work, has been granted £500 from award-winning housebuilder CALA Homes after being successfully selected as one of the recipients of their 2018 Community Bursary scheme.

The CALA Homes Community Bursary was launched in February this year and invited local charities, organisations and groups across Sussex to apply for funding towards a project that would benefit their local community. Family Support Work were chosen as one of the lucky recipients, with the funding going towards out-of-school play work schemes for vulnerable children in the Sussex area.

Family Support Work has been offering support to vulnerable families in deprived areas in Sussex since 1890; providing one-to-one support, therapeutic support, parenting courses and access to educational provision and youth groups. The integral work of the charity is to support the mental and emotional well-being of the parents and children alike; enabling them to become more independent and improve their self-esteem.

Richard Walbourn, managing director of CALA Homes (South Home Counties), said: “As a housebuilder that aims to make a positive difference to the local areas in which we build, we were thrilled to be able to relaunch our community bursary scheme this year, following a successful programme in 2017. Once again, choosing the recipients of this year’s community bursary was a really tough decision, with so many applicants demonstrating their important contribution to the local community.

“The work that Family Support Work does for families and young children in some of the hardest to reach areas of Sussex is so important and we are delighted to be able to help them continue their great work, by providing them with vital funding to run their play work schemes in the school holidays.”

Nikki Kerr, director of fundraising and marketing at Family Support Work, said: “We are extremely grateful to CALA Homes for their kind donation to our charity. The donation will really help us to provide play work sessions to children in Sussex who may be experiencing emotional difficulties or have a chaotic family life.

“These sessions are vital to children who may have few positive adult role models or a parent with physical or mental ill-health, and enables them to take part in fun activities such as swimming, trampolining, and games; all the while being encouraged to talk about their feelings. We also have designated male and female play-workers who can act as a father figure or maternal figure for many young people, which can help towards creating a safe environment in which to discuss problems they are experiencing and develop ways of dealing with them.”

CALA Homes is an award-winning upmarket housebuilder with developments across Sussex, including Shopwyke Lakes in Chichester, Cresswell Park in Angmering, Farriers Rise in Ringmer and their upcoming developments, Hammonds Gate in Burgess Hill and Arun Fields in Horsham. For further information on these developments and the homes currently available, visit www.cala.co.uk

Pictures by David McHugh / Brighton Pictures