Mental health funding boost for London’s asylum seekers
A Newham-based charity supporting London’s refugees and asylum seekers with their mental health has received a £79,200 funding boost.
City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, awarded the money to the British Refugee Council.
The grant will help the charity deliver one-to-one counselling and psychotherapy sessions to 140 people across London.
Many people supported by the British Refugee Council have been victims of sexual abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking and torture, yet upon arrival in the UK, often face a range of new problems. Many are left to survive alone in an unfamiliar country with a new language and culture.
These experiences can have long-lasting negative effects, including depression, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Dhruv Patel, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust Committee, said:
“Many refugees have faced horrific experiences in their home countries, including torture, war, rape and persecution.
“We’re proud to support the British Refugee Council in helping those who too often have experienced this unimaginable trauma.
“Through partnerships like this we are tackling disadvantage and inequality in London. And we will continue to support charities in making the capital a better place in which to live.”
Paul Cilia La Corte, London Therapeutic Services Manager & Psychological Therapist, Refugee Council, said:
“This funding will allow us to continue to support and empower asylum seekers and refugees facing difficult life transitions, from persecution in their homeland to the challenges they now face in the UK.”
City Bridge Trust is the funding arm of the City of London Corporation’s charity, Bridge House Estates.
It 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 8,000 grants totalling over £400 million since it first began in 1995. It helps achieve the City 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
Notes to editors
About the City of London Corporation:
The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally successful UK.
About City Bridge Trust
City Bridge Trust is the funding arm of Bridge House Estates, a Registered Charity, with its primary aim the maintenance and support of five Thames bridges: Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark, Blackfriars and the Millennium footbridge.
City Bridge Trust was established in 1995 to make use of funds surplus to bridge requirements and provides grants totalling around £20m per year towards charitable activity benefitting Greater London. The City of London Corporation is the sole trustee of the Bridge House Estates.