Making Life Better for Families!

The Hope Tree will run seminars, workshops and family activities on wellbeing, mental health and parenting. After supporting 100 families last year, we aim to increase uptake by 10% locally.

£5,737
Raised of £14,521

25
Backers

2
days left

39%

Back this project

Keep what you raise - this project will receive all pledges made by 24 Jun 2026. Any pledges made by our funding partners will only be released if the project reaches its target by this date.

Backers

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Latest

Highest to lowest

Anonymous - £10
1 month ago

Deltine Patterson - £20
1 month ago

Anonymous - £5
1 month ago

KCC Public Health Fund - £5,147
1 month ago

Sharon Elliott - £20
1 month ago

Teresa S - £5
1 month ago

Pauline Palmer - £30
1 month ago

Brenda Walters-Erlam - £25
1 month ago

@mamajoysjerk - £50
1 month ago This is an amazing charity and a blessing to the families of Ashford Kent. May it long continue the support our community 🙏🙏🙏

Merle Longe - £30
2 months ago It is not only a good project but worthy and essentialto the development and functioning of peoples mental health and wellbeing. It needs to be fully supported

https://www.myhopetree.org.uk

The Hope Tree exists to provide a safe, accessible place where counselling, advice and training facilitate change, strengthen family roots and give families fresh hope for the future.

Since 2015, we have supported low-income families in and around Ashford through holistic, relationship-focused services for children, young people and their parents.

What we do

Therapeutic support in school settings for primary and secondary pupils (ages 11–18 and younger where appropriate).

Affordable, creative activity days during half-term breaks that prioritise quality family time and learning, not simple drop-offs.

One-to-one counselling, pastoral support for teachers, and training for school staff in therapeutic approaches.

Around 1 in 10 children and young people experience mental-health difficulties, with demand rising since the pandemic (source: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)). Pressures linked to the cost-of-living crisis, social media, family breakdown and increasing neurodiverse needs have intensified challenges, particularly for families whose first language is not English. Our early, preventative support strengthens resilience, improves parent–child relationships and reduces reliance on crisis services.

The service is led by Maureen Gordon, an experienced counsellor working with adults, children and young people facing depression, self-harm, bereavement, anxiety and school-related pressures. She has worked extensively in secondary schools, supporting students to overcome personal difficulties that affect both wellbeing and academic progress. With younger children she uses play-therapy techniques to support communication and emotional expression. She also provides pastoral support and training to school staff.

Schools report improved pupil wellbeing, stronger engagement in learning and effective support for children with anxiety, trauma and complex needs. Parents and children describe activity days as inclusive, confidence-building and valuable for quality family time. Young people say counseling helps them express feelings, cope with loss and manage anxiety.

Across schools, families and volunteers, feedback consistently highlights the service as reliable, compassionate and impactful, demonstrating strong community trust and measurable outcomes.

Project Owner: The hopetree counselling & consultancy service C.I.C The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.