The Mayors Charity

I have chosen ChildLine as my charity for my Mayoral year because the children of today are the best investment we have for the future and at times are sorely abused and criticised unfairly. Some children are born into environments that give little scope for a safe and happy development, often without anyone with whom to share concerns and problems.

The tragedies of recent events where youngsters have become the victims of violent crime and increasingly murder, are evidence enough that these young people deserve all the help they can get to blossom into adulthood confident and motivated to succeed. I want to help in achieving this in some small way.

ChildLine is the country’s free and confidential 24 hour helpline for children in distress or danger. Its trained volunteer counsellors comfort, advise and protect children and young people who may feel they have nowhere else to turn.

Every day around 4,500 children call ChildLine, but lack of funds means that only 2,500 of them will get through to counsellors for help.

Children call ChildLine with a wide range of problems, but the most common are abuse (both sexual and physical), bullying, serious family tensions, worries about friends’ welfare and teenage pregnancy.

Since it was launched in 1986, ChildLine has saved children’s lives, found refuges for children in danger on the streets and given hope to thousands of children who believed no one else cared for them. Since its inception the charity has counselled well over one million children and young people.

I hope that over the period of the next year I will successfully persuade as many people, companies and organisations as possible to give some financial support to what I believe is a charity involved on the front line of welfare to future generations of children; upon whom we will depend so much for the general success of this great country of ours

Bob Edger
Mayor