Denbighshire businesses give vulnerable young people early Christmas cheer

Denbighshire businesses are proving the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in North Wales with generous donations to Action for Children’s Skills Plus project that works to improve the emotional and social well-being of care experienced young people as they negotiate the many challenges they face in their lives.

Businesses in the Prestatyn area such as Tesco, Matalan, Sky, Poundland, Iceland, the Coop, Mark Sealey, Spar and M&S have donated vouchers, selection boxes and advent calendars for Christmas Eve boxes the service is putting together the young people they support. TK Maxx produced 30 shoe boxes of gifts and treats for Action for Children family support services while Asda in Rhyl donated vouchers with local MP James Davies, donating mindfulness journals.

Action for Children also ensured one item that was personal and special to each young person was included in the box to show them that that they are listened to and cared about.

Building on the success of its Skills for Living programme for Care Experienced Young People (CEYP) in Wales, Action for Children has remodelled the service and launched Skills Plus. The service offers several pathways of support for CEYP aged 14-24 and provides support tailored to their individual needs.

The team provide a therapeutic intervention based on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) to improve the emotional and social well-being of young people who experience significant distress and relationship difficulties and struggle to maintain consistency in their lives. There is also a focus on working to give young people the practical and life skills to enable them to transition into happy, healthy adults.

Katy Alger, young person’s practitioner for Skills Plus in North Wales, said: ‘You cannot underestimate what this level of business support means to the young people we support. In normal circumstances, this is a group of people who face tremendous life challenges, but this year’s pandemic has only intensified the issues our young people deal with.

‘We have continued to support them throughout the pandemic through group and individual video calls and mobile calls whenever necessary so to give them these gifts from businesses who have traded in such a tough financial climate is very special indeed and we can’t thank them enough.’