Due to Covid, we urgently need funds to continue running and expanding our life-enhancing virtual workshops which are a lifeline for so many of the vulnerable children and young people who are part of Chickenshed. Their needs have become much more complex during this time of isolation. Furthermore, we need to get the classes running again very soon.

In 2019, Chickenshed provided support, education, mentoring and a place to belong to over 1,000 children and young people. For many, Chickenshed is their second home.

We nurture over 5,000 more children and young people every year throughout London and beyond from areas of identified disadvantage through our outreach programme.

Over 60% of the children and young people we reach have experienced isolation and exclusion due to mental or physical ill-health, disability, bullying, gang pressure, interactions with the care system or being a young carer themselves - often a combination of these things.

These factors result in exclusion from mainstream schools, colleges, universities and social activities, adding to their personal feelings of neglect.

At Chickenshed we help them to feel accepted, nurtured and valued, empowering them to achieve more than they ever thought possible. We give them opportunities where they may otherwise fall through the cracks.

We have launched an urgent appeal this summer - to keep Chickenshed as a safe place for the thousands of children and young people who rely on us.

If you are able to help, anything from a small donation upwards will make all the difference in helping us to provide our expert services to children and young people.

What your support will help us achieve:

- £10 helps us make contact with a vulnerable child and their family.

- £100 enables us to give one-to-one support to young people experiencing mental health problems.

- £1,000 helps our graduate trainees to deliver a workshop to at-risk children

- £10,000-£20,000 funds one of our core projects, validating and empowering vulnerable children through our Early Years, Youth Music and Every Child a Dreamer projects.

- £50,000 funds one of our annual programmes, enabling young people, many with severe disadvantage, to flourish and achieve their potential through our Children's Theatre, Youth Theatre, Outreach, Early years and Young Creators programmes.

Anyone giving £50 and over has the opportunity to have their name on one of our virtual seats at Chickenshed Theatre.

For more details on the immediate impact of your gift, numbers reached and outcomes of our projects, please contact Gemma Kirk, Head of Fundraising on gemmak@chickenshed.org.uk. Project and programme funders will be invited to connect with participants via performance or update video.

Thank you for helping to keep Chickenshed safe - because their lives are in our hands.

Louise Perry, Managing Director, Chickenshed

* If you would like to fundraise for Chickenshed, click "Start Fundraising" on this page to create your own Just Giving page. Or contact Gemma Kirk, Head of Fundraising on gemmak@chickenshed.org.uk

** We endeavour to use donations for the purpose of which they have been pledged. However, because of the changing nature of our work and the need to react to the demands of those we support, this cannot always be promised.