ADHD and autism charity receives aid for Helpline

Hatfield based charity, The ADD-vance ADHD and Autism Trust (ADD-vance) have welcomed a grant of £7,500 from Hertfordshire Community Foundation.

The charity provides training, coaching and support to over 1,000 of their members which include families of children and young people who are affected by ‘hidden disabilities’ ADHD and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Anne Ross, Founder and Director of ADD-vance started the charity 20 years ago to meet the needs of her own family at the time. “Children and young people with ADHD and Autism are often misunderstood and are at significant risk of not achieving their potential. These funds will ensure that we are able to create a more robust, resilient, and sustainable charity so that we can support them in the best way possible.”

“Our helpline and Facebook pages are vital ways for our team to offer support and guidance, but it is also very time consuming for a small charity to manage to a consistent standard when you have a very small team. Calls can be from professionals requesting information and advice or from families in crisis who need a listening ear, advice from someone who "gets it" and has experience themselves, as well as signposting to statutory services and support which can be hard to find or navigate. Demand is growing for our services and with this funding we are able to better manage how our helpline is resourced as well as support the other vital areas of our work. Ultimately we can help more people, faster.”

Caroline Langdell, Fund Manager for Hertfordshire Community Foundation said, “More and more statutory services are being cut back and services users are being signposted to vital local charities like ADD-vance. We are so pleased that we were able to provide this grant to ADD-vance so that they can strengthen their capacity and meet the demand in Hertfordshire for their services.”

For more information on how to apply for a grant through Hertfordshire Community Foundation, make a donation or volunteer, visit www.hertscf.org.uk or call 01707 251 351

Individuals and organisations who would like to know more about starting a charitable fund or becoming more involved in supporting the work of the voluntary sector within Hertfordshire can call Hertfordshire Community Foundation on 01707 251 351 or email office@hertscf.org.uk