A Sense of Urgency

Our home in Highbridge, which has been a lifeline for approximately 1,000 people a year, has been sold following the closure of the business we rent the space from. Unfortunately we have now been served notice to leave the premises, leaving us homeless from the 4th December 2025.

We have invested heavily into our space, converting it from an unused office space into the excellent counselling facility it now is, not to mention the creation of our lovely garden area. We are now in the position of having to find, decorate, and alter a new office space to suit our needs. All before Christmas. As you can imagine, this will be the largest financial and logistical challenge we have ever faced.

We need to raise around £300,000 to find our new home, and to secure our existence for the next 12 months. We refuse to give up, to close our service, as that would mean putting countless lives at risk. We know this is a substantial amount to be asking for, but this is what it costs to provide around 10,000 1:1 appointments, to support 6,000 students across Somerset with our schools’ project and youth club, plus our newer adult support groups. About a third of this target will be needed for our new home, possibly more as we do not expect to find a new home as low cost as we have had for the past 6 years.

All About Us

Who are In Charley’s Memory?

In Charley's Memory (ICM) are an award winning, suicide prevention charity providing 1:1 life-saving counselling support for anyone aged 11+. We are located in Highbridge, Somerset, but support people from all over the county. But we don't stop there, we also support anyone from outside the county who are happy to travel to our office.

ICM are considered one of the county's leading providers for mental health services and we routinely support clients who are referred here by all of the local GP surgeries, NHS services, prison service, Social Services, and more!

However, we receive no funding from the government to continue to support the work of the NHS and other services. Last year we saved the NHS an estimated £737,000 by providing the 1:1 unlimited support that we supply. Our excellent reputation means we are facing increasing demand for our service and as a result their youngest clients are facing long waiting lists for support. These clients can only be seen by their most qualified staff due to their age and in many cases, the complexity and severity of their presenting concerns.

What do we do?

We provide several services to our local community to support their mental health including;

• Providing 1:1 counselling to approx. 150 people per week from our office.

• A thriving youth club for ages 10-13, which regularly sees over 40 attendees per week.

• A weekly school project in six secondary schools in the area.

• Parent and community drop-in services.

How do we work?

Young people, parents, and other adults can self-refer for services via our website, where they can also view information on many of the presenting issues we see often.

After an initial appointment the client is matched with a counsellor from their diverse team, if they are under 16 they may be entered into their shorter term wellbeing course, or their uncapped counselling service, whichever is best suited to their needs.

Our school project provides 1:1 solution-focused sessions, a student drop-in, assemblies, and parent/teacher online workshops. Our school counsellors are in school every week to provide consistent, accessible, timely support to students. For students who require additional support, they can refer them straight into their core service.

Our youth club supports children in school years 6-8 by providing a safe and fun environment to mix with peers and support the transition between primary and secondary schools.

How can you help?

If you are able to donate any amount to our fundraiser we would be greatly appreciative.

Alternatively, you could set up your own fundraiser via this page, or by getting in touch with our team on hello@incharleysmemory.com.