Lynne Featherstone

Fantastic to have this exemplar charity – which recently celebrated its fifteenth birthday – operating here in Hornsey & Wood Green.

It now covers about seventeen boroughs and young people with a variety of challenges come there to work. They feel loved and supported and develop skills that can really help them. In that encouraging atmosphere they have even seen miracles – as when someone who hadn’t spoken for years started to speak again. They also supply specialist equipment, chairs and so on to those who need it.

Now the real problem for Action for Kids is that they are totally a charity. And do you know – the councils that send kids there don’t pay a penny. They want to find a way of charging and I don’t blame them. They work totally off of charitable donations – but with some basic funding could expand their operation – which is clearly in demand and excellent.

And really scandalously – the Government will pay businesses £80 per day to take young people like this – and businesses refer them on so that they spend the day free at Action for Kids – but the businesses keep the dosh. Disgusting!