The charity now must raise a substantial amount of money over the next year to continue running groups and supporting our families . This is now the charity’s biggest challenge, and we must be more creative in how to raise the funds. We support over 500 people made up of children and their families with a waiting list of referrals growing because we are the only provision in south Essex that provide this kind of service. Our team is made up of Three qualified counsellors, Two social workers and 7 youth workers. Our children have suffered with isolation, bullying, mental health, low confidence, and low self-esteem however, many of our young carers say that Kool carers have changed their lives and for some we’ve even been a lifeline. The children have met other children who have the same struggles as themselves, built meaningful friendships and now have a safe space where they can come and talk about their concerns and find the right support to help them and their families . We have also been recognised and won various awards which you can see on our website. Most recently we were on BBC national news raising awareness about young carers and the missed opportunities for education due to their caring responsibilities and isolation.