Lieutenant Governor visits children's charity centre

Sunday 02 July 2017

Sir Stephen Dalton, the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, recently visited the Gower Centre, the local base for the NSPCC, the UK's leading children charity.

The Lieutenant Governor and his wife Lady Dalton are Patrons of the charity and met with the local staff on Wednesday to learn more about the work they do for Jersey children.

They met Sharon Copsey, the charity’s Regional Head, Jacky Moon,Service Manager, Selina Winter, Team Manager and Nicola Santos Costa, the NSPCC branch chairman at the charity's local centre in Stopford Road. 

Sir Stephen and Lady Dalton received presentations on services delivered from the base, known as The Gower Centre, including the new ‘Letting the Future In’ programme – a therapeutic Service for children and young people who have been sexually abused, which received support from the States of Jersey.

They also heard about the award-winning ante-natal programme ‘Baby Steps’, which will soon become universal thanks to £400,000 of funding allocated by the Home Affairs Minister, as well as ‘Family SMILES’, a group work programme for children who have a parent or carer with mental health difficulties, and campaign work with young supporters through Participation.

Selina Winter said: “We were delighted to be able to show His Excellency and Lady Dalton first-hand exactly what NSPCC Jersey does on a daily basis.

“Sadly, the truth is that there are children and families in Jersey who need extra support on a range of issues, so it is vital that the NSPCC is here to help. With the impending publication of the Report on the Child Abuse Enquiry we were particularly pleased to have the opportunity to show what the new ‘Letting the Future in’  service will offer to those young people who have been subjected to sexual abuse.”

Colin Powell, NSPCC Honorary Council Member, added: “I was delighted to be able to welcome Sir Stephen and Lady Dalton to The Gower Centre. They were very interested and appreciative to hear about the different services we provide.

“The work of the NSPCC in the Island relies upon the support of local people, whether through volunteering or fundraising. Further information on how to support the work of NSPCC Jersey can be found at nspcc.org.uk/what-we-do/what-we-stand-for/jersey or by searching for our NSPCC Jersey Facebook page.”