A charity has been awarded over £150,000 to fund a programme offering emotional and practical support to young people in London living with arthritis.

The City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, has given £154,535 to Arthritis Care to boost its work with 16 to 25 year olds and their families in the capital living with juvenile arthritis.

Arthritis Care, based in Islington, is the UK’s leading charity offering information and support to anyone with arthritis, including online and face to face services.

Young people with arthritis face a variety of challenges including pain and fatigue, often resulting in missed schooling, isolation, anxiety and depression.

The programme will provide emotional and social support to help young people to better manage the condition across their home, school/work and social lives. It will also offer support services for young people newly diagnosed with the condition to help them maintain choice and control in their lives.

Arthritis Care says there are 1,000 young people living with juvenile arthritis in London, a condition that targets the joints, resulting in severe pain, stiffness and swelling that has a life changing impact on families.

The project aims to increase young peoples’ confidence about their future, increase their communication skills, improve self-esteem, and reduce isolation. It will include workshops, group activities and 1-2-1 support.

Alison Gowman, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust Committee, said:

“In 2015 the charity supported over 400 young people with juvenile arthritis, so it is already changing lives but there is scope to do even more.

“The programme will provide vital support for young people to help them have a successful transition into adult life, and the working world, through a variety of workshops and individual support sessions.

“City Bridge Trust is committed to tackling disadvantage across the capital and making London a fairer and better place to live.”

Stewart Long, Director of Nations and Services at Arthritis Care, added:

“The funding will allow us to continue our vital work in supporting young people with arthritis and their families across London.

“We’ll now be able to run more workshops and residential activity weekends as well as attend more hospital clinics, all aimed at equipping young people with the skills and confidence they need to manage their condition.”

City Bridge Trust is London’s biggest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital. The Trust has awarded around 7,500 grants totalling over £360 million since it first began in 1995. It helps achieve the Corporation’s aim of changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners.

ENDS

Media Enquiries

Kristina Drake

Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Kristina.Drake@cityoflondon.gov.uk

07710860884 / 020 7332 1125