Burnley and Padiham charity Brighter Lives North West helping hundreds of children facing trauma, domestic violence, mental illness, self-harming, grooming, and sexual abuse needs £50,000 to survive

A Burnley charity helping hundreds of vulnerable children - including those as young as eight who are self-harming - needs at least £50,000 to avoid closure.
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Brighter Lives North West in Valley Street Community Centre has provided tailored one-to-one support to 450 young people experiencing trauma, domestic violence, mental illness, grooming, and sexual abuse in Burnley and Padiham in the past 12 months. The community interest company, founded by Mandy Ellerton and Elizabeth Schinkel in 2017, also runs a youth group on Tuesdays from 5-30pm - 7pm for ages 11-18.

Mandy must now raise between £50,000 and £70,000 to keep running for another year when NHS funding runs out at the end of March.

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She said: “In the past few years, we’ve seen many more cases of attempted suicides, where [young people] have been hospitalised.

(L-R) Alex Lonsdale, Mandy Ellerton and Lisa Taylor, of Brighter Lives North West, which helps children facing domestic abuse and mental illness. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard(L-R) Alex Lonsdale, Mandy Ellerton and Lisa Taylor, of Brighter Lives North West, which helps children facing domestic abuse and mental illness. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard
(L-R) Alex Lonsdale, Mandy Ellerton and Lisa Taylor, of Brighter Lives North West, which helps children facing domestic abuse and mental illness. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

“We’ve seen a massive increase in depression, anxiety, and self-harm. We have children under our service as young as eight who are self-harming.”

Brighter Lives receives referrals from multiple agencies like schools, charities, housing providers, and the county council, due to its experience in dealing with complex cases long-term, some for more than 12 months. It helps to ease pressure on the NHS’ overstretched mental health services, according to Mandy.

The CEO believes many vulnerable youths feel misunderstood by the adults and peers in their lives. But they can build a trusting relationship with the Brighter Lives team and feel comfortable confiding in them.

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“Many young people feel that no-one is listening to them. They are often told [by the adults in their lives] that they will be fine and to get on with it. It makes their mental health worse as they stop talking about it. People need to see that young people suffer from mental illness in the same way as adults.”

Mandy Ellerton, CEO of Brighter Lives North West, which needs at least £50,000 in funding to run for another year. Photo: Kelvin StuttardMandy Ellerton, CEO of Brighter Lives North West, which needs at least £50,000 in funding to run for another year. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard
Mandy Ellerton, CEO of Brighter Lives North West, which needs at least £50,000 in funding to run for another year. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

Other pressures include doing well at school and fitting in with peers, with many children worrying about being rejected by their classmates for seeking mental health treatment, Mandy added.

“They don’t feel like they belong anywhere. That can drive mental health issues. Social media also has a big role: they hold themselves to high standards about how they should act and look.

“Peer-to-peer, there is still a stigma around children accessing mental health services. Some children suffering from mental health issues have lost friends and feel judged by their peers and adults. Friends mean everything to them.”

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Some have received bullying messages encouraging them to self-harm, happening “not just at school” but “all the time” due to being plugged into social networking sites 24/7. But many do not want to leave social media for fear of losing touch with friends.

Mandy Ellerton is a complex needs worker for adults and children at Brighter Lives North West. Photo: Kelvin StuttardMandy Ellerton is a complex needs worker for adults and children at Brighter Lives North West. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard
Mandy Ellerton is a complex needs worker for adults and children at Brighter Lives North West. Photo: Kelvin Stuttard

It is too easy for an offender to start a new account and continue their campaign of harassment after being blocked, said Mandy, who believes social media companies must do more to monitor and crackdown on online abuse.

“There is so much harmful content online. One person reported bullying and harmful words. But nothing came of it. [The offender] just got blocked for four or five days.”

Mandy said children are vulnerable to being groomed or exploited when struggling emotionally and feeling isolated from trusted loved ones.

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“I want the public to know that it is important to listen to young people because what we see as an argument between friends could lead to something more serious, and they might not know who to turn to.”

But it is not just their online lives that cause them anxiety: many youths are also fearful of the outside world, with Mandy saying: “We have 13 to 14-year-olds who are so scared of hanging on the streets. They are scared of being dragged into some bushes and assaulted. It just breaks your heart to hear that 13-year-olds are worried about that.”

The charity currently has 70 open cases, plus 10 on the waiting list. They have also had 33 referrals in the past month and support 126 adults.

“Grant applications are getting so hard. As a small organisation, we tend to get overlooked.

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“I don't like to think about what would happen if we lost our funding, but many people have said they don’t know what they would do. We don’t know where our cases are going to go. Other charities have said they can’t take them because they are too complex.”

For help and support or to make a donation, call 07925 726855 from Monday to Friday between 9am - 5pm or send an email to [email protected]