Somewhere House Somerset has won the prestigious 2023 Prince of Wales Award – jointly sponsored by the Duchy of Cornwall and the Royal Bath & West of England Society.
On 1st June, Rob Jones and Mike Turner, Trustees of Somewhere House Somerset attended the prize giving ceremony at the opening of the Royal Bath and West Show.
This remarkable achievement for a small charity that is run by Volunteers, which has been operating for over 12 years and currently supports in excess of 150 people per week. The Charity offers One to One Counselling to people in the local community, for as long as they need it and simply ask for a donation of what they can afford for their sessions. The Counsellors, who are all fully qualified, support the charity and the community by charging a reduced rate. The charity fundraisers run community events and seeks grant funding to ensure the Charity covers the minimal operating costs of the service and allow everyone, regardless of their financial standing, to receive the support they need.
Alongside the 1-to-1 Counselling, the charity is present in the community – with coffee and chat events held in the community in multiple locations and educational workshops on the dangers of substance misuse delivered into local schools and colleges.
Rob Jones, Trustee comments “Many of the volunteers we have, including at board level, have had their own struggles with mental health, addiction, and trauma. Some of the team are former clients of the charity and now give their time to help others, just as others did for them in their time of need. The motto ‘paying it forward’ really does signify what we do and is testament to the people who volunteer for the charity.”
Mike Turner, Trustee comments “Winning an award like this, is a huge achievement for a Charity like Somewhere House Somerset – this is one of the proudest achievements in its history and I am very proud to be part of the hard working team.”
The charity was started by one family back in 2011 – who realised that people in our community needed help. They supported and backed it and do so to this day. Their drive to help and care others is worthy of special mention. An award like this really does re-affirm why the charity exists and succeeds in it’s work today.
The entire Somewhere House Team wish to thank HRH Prince of Wales, The Duchy of Cornwall, The Earl and Countess of Radnor & The Royal Bath and West Society Judges and Team for presenting us with this prestigious Award.
