Latest News and Blogs

The Lifespace team is officially on a well-deserved break - but not before ending the term on a high note! This week, we were joined by our amazing colleagues from the SEND and Primary teams to reflect on our work and explore ways to grow and improve. 

We also had the privilege of taking part i ...

The Department for Education has released updated guidance for Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), aiming to strengthen transparency, age-appropriateness, and support for both students and teachers.Earlier Learning, Clearer Boundaries.

Children will now begin learning about respect, cons ...

As one chapter closes, another begins…This term, two of our Mentors shared the simple but powerful thank you gifts received from young people at their final session.These small tokens - handwritten notes, drawings, or heartfelt words - made us smile. But more than that, they reminded us of so ...

Yesterday we attended an inspiring event hosted by the Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC) and the Schools Wellbeing Partnership.

We heard from leaders across education, health, and youth support on how to embed whole school and college approaches to mental health. During a ...

We’re thrilled to invite you to a special 3-course fundraising supper on Friday, 15 August 2025, set in a stunning riverside garden marquee at Stockton House, Henley-in-Arden - generously hosted by our dear friends and long-time supporters, Sue & Brian Westmacott.

Enjoy: A delicious 3-cour ...

1 in 4 young people in England are now living with a probable mental health condition. Anxiety, depression, and eating disorders are rising - especially among girls aged 17–19.

Young People Are in Crisis
1 in 4 young people in England are living with a probable mental health condition. Anx ...

Yesterday was something special 35 wonderful people - plus a few furry companions who kept spirits high - came together for the Lifespace 21 Walk, choosing between the 21k challenge and the “2.1 mile” (shhh it was more like 3.1! ) community stroll.

Together, we walked over 415 kilom ...

This Sunday, we’re celebrating 21 years of Lifespace walking alongside young people—with two walks and one big community celebration! Earlier this week, our CEO Lisa Carroll chatted with the Stratford Herald. She reflected:

“We’ve walked alongside young people for 21 years. Ho ...

We’re celebrating 21 years of mentoring, empowering, and walking alongside young people. Since 2004, we’ve: 

Mentored 7,000+ young people Supported 3,500+ through group work 
Delivered 45,500+ hours of 1-to-1 support 
Raised over £3.2 million to improve young lives ...

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for our fundraising curry night at Naya in Henley-in-Arden to celebrate 21 years of Lifespace.

Andrea and Jo shared moving stories about our work with young people, and your generosity - through both the meal and the raffle - helped us raise an amazing & ...

Just one week to go until #Lifespace21!


We’re so excited to come together as a community on Sunday 29th June for a day of walking, celebrating, and reflecting on 21 years of Lifespace supporting young people.

Meet Ellie – one of our amazing young leaders and a member of our Youth Adviso ...

We're celebrating Volunteers Week - and inviting you to join our mentoring community!

To our amazing volunteer mentors: thank you. Your time, empathy and encouragement help young people feel heard, valued and hopeful.

If you’ve ever thought about mentoring, come along to our Volunteer Mentor Op ...

The scorecard is set to revolutionise school evaluations, offering a more nuanced and detailed assessment across multiple areas of performance. This includes a 5-point grading scale and a focus on various aspects such as leadership, curriculum, teaching, achievement, behaviour, attendance, personal ...

Earlier this week The Independent reports that students - especially girls - are enjoying school less and missing more school. The decline in wellbeing around the secondary transition is real. Here’s how we help:

Mentoring: Trusted 1:1 support to talk, reflect and grow confidence &ldq ...

Join us for a delightful evening and indulge in a 3 Course Indian Feast at Naya Indian Cuisine, all in support of Lifespace and our 21st birthday fundraising campaign. Enjoy an exquisite dining experience while contributing to a great cause.


Date: June 23, 2025 Time: 7:30 PM Location: Naya Indian ...

So do we - and we’re looking for people like YOU to join us as a Volunteer Mentor at Lifespace!

Support young people (7–19) in schools or the community across South & Mid Warwickshire. Just 3 hours a week, term-time only, with full training provided.Come to our FREE Open Evening! Wedn ...

Walk with purpose and help empower young people in our community.


Choose your challenge:2.1 miles, 21k or 21 miles

Celebrate with a BBQ at Stratford Youth Hub! Has Lifespace supported you? Share your story and inspire others—your voice matters.

Scan QR code or say hello@lifespace.org.uk to reg ...

During Mental Health Awareness Week, we wanted to share what we are doing to support mental health in our community. Swipe through to discover our initiatives and how you can get involved!

Our Impact: From providing essential resources to offering support groups, Lifespace is dedicated to improving ...

We were honoured to attend a Service to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, held at the beautiful Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick.

Invited by the Lieutenancy of Warwickshire and the Chair of Warwickshire County Council, our CEO Lisa Carroll and Head of Delivery Joanna Bro ...

It's Mental Health Awareness Week

Check out our Tips for Wellbeing Swipe for practical tips to boost your mental wellbeing! If you're feeling down - reach out to a professional - you can DM us too

Remember, taking care of your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Let's spread aw ...

We had a great time at The Pursuits Festival Stratford this weekend with our friends from Esacape Arts and Stratford Youth Collective.

It was lovely catching up with our MP Manuela Perteghella too. We're so grateful for her support and advocacy for young people. Vistors helped to build Escape's giant ...

Our CEO Lisa Carroll attended an event sponsored by Sharon Hodgson MP at the House of Commons to show our commitment to ending the verbal abuse of children.The event highlighted an initiative aimed at creating safe and nurturing environments for children.

Founded by Jess Bondy, Words Matter is dedic ...

We had an incredible day at the Child Friendly Warwickshire Youth Conference, where energy, ideas, and inspiration filled the room!The event brought together passionate young people and dedicated partner organisations for a day of meaningful conversations and collaboration. It was a fantastic o ...

At Lifespace, we are committed to supporting young people in building self-esteem, confidence, and resilience.

Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that every young person receives the support they need to thrive.

Our Commitment to Youth Support
We understand the privil ...

Our Youth Advisory Panel are busy testing out their walking boots ready for Lifespace 21.

We're also hard at working preparing personalised letters to our schools and communities, encouraging them to get involved too!

Whether you're up for a challenge or prefer a leisurely stroll, we've got a route ...

At Lifespace, we support the wellbeing and mental health of young people aged 7-19 across Warwickshire. We are excited to announce two fantastic opportunities to join our team and make a real difference.

Grants and Trusts Fundraiser (Part-Time, Term Time Only)
Are you passionate about securing funding ...

... but if they did, they'd come packed with empathy, listening skills, and a whole toolkit to support young people.

Lifespace Mentors are here to build confidence, ease distress and help young people thrive — no one-size-fits-all, just real, human connection.

Because let’s be honest: ...

Our egg-ceptional mentors are taking a well-deserved break to recharge their batteries.

They'll be back on the 28th of April, refreshed and ready to support you with even more energy and enthusiasm!

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy your holidays. Whether you're hunting for eggs, spending time with ...

Today, our mentors and Youth Advisory Panel took part in an enlightening LGBT+ training session on gender identity and sexuality with Dan from Warwickshire Pride. Dan's engaging and knowledgeable approach made the session truly impactful. This is part of our ongoing commitment to be there for all yo ...

The pandemic may have officially ended, but for many young people its shadow lingers - in classrooms, in homes, and individually. At Lifespace, our mentors walk beside them, witnessing the aftershocks daily - from anxiety and absence to safety fears and social isolation.

In this blog, our CEO, Lisa C ...

Lifespace have secured funding to deliver a series of transition workshops to Y6 pupils this summer.👉 Is your child starting secondary school soon?

👉 We'll be visiting lots of local schools but wanted to make sure that all young people get a chance to participate.👉 You can also register your inter ...

🎉 We're excited to announce Lifespace 21, a special sponsored walk to celebrate Lifespace Trust's 21st Birthday! Our fundraiser launched this week with coverage in The Stratford Herald.
📅 Date: Sunday, June 29th, 2025 
📍 Routes: • 21 miles starting at Long Compton• 21 kilometres ...

We are thrilled to announce that we have received the Charity Excellence Framework Quality Mark! 
This prestigious award comes after completing an organisational audit, linked with our Risk Register, which provided us with a KPI dashboard and suggested areas for further improvement. We are commi ...

We're delighted to introduce the incredible runners of Team Lifespace who are gearing up for the London Landmarks Half Marathon. Each of these dedicated individuals is running to support Lifespace Trust and help young people in Warwickshire access vital mentoring services. Let's meet our amazing run ...

In the recent report "Who is Losing Learning? Finding Solutions to the School Engagement Crisis" by The Difference and IPPR highlights critical strategies to improve school engagement and prevent lost learning.

At Lifespace, we are proud to align our mentoring approach with these key findings t ...

At Lifepace we believe every mind is unique, powerful, and valuable.

Neurodiversity isn’t something to “fix” — it’s something to understand, embrace, and celebrate.

Many young people we support are autistic, have ADHD, dyslexia, or other neurodivergent traits &m ...

We are thrilled to announce that three dedicated runners will be representing Lifespace in the upcoming London Landmarks Half Marathon! Each of these incredible individuals brings their unique story and passion to this event, and we are excited to share their journeys with you.

Meet Our Runners:

Joann ...

Earlier this month we caught up with our friends at Shakespeare Lionsclub to celebrate the successes of their December Santa Runs. Lifespace sent a team of volunteers to support the Shottery evening.

Susanna, pictured right, was delighted to pick up a cheque in support of Lifespace's work. Thank you ...

Young people tell us that equal access to flexible, safe and co-designed community services are what they need in this ever changing world.

That's why Lifespace endorse the #FundtheHubsblueprint which sets out a roadmap on the development and implementation of Young Futures hubs.

The campa ...

Tackling SEMH Challenges: A Call to Action for Schools and Communities

A recent Tes article reinforced what we see daily — Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SE ...

A new report from the APPG on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention calls for urgent, community-based early intervention to stop this crisis. Their 15 key recommendations include:

- A national strategy for youth suicide prevention
- More funding for youth mental health services
- Mandatory mental health ...

Lifespace CEO Lisa Carroll reflects on Margaret Mulholland's latest Tes article (20 Feb 2025).

Mulholland notes that Ofsted’s latest proposals highlight the graduated teaching approach—a model that, if applied effectively, could transform SEND support and whole-school inclu ...

We were delighted to attend the first AGM at Stratford Youth Collective yesterday.


It was great to recap all that has been achieved and hopes for the future too. What a wonderful facility we are building for young people in the town. ...

We support the #FutureMindsCampaign calling for immediate and scalable steps that the Government can take to address the Children's Mental Health Crisis. - Investment in children and young people's mental health - Full roll out of Mental Health Support Teams - Open access mental health services - A ...

This #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek, shocking new research reveals the devastating impact of failing to support young people’s mental health.Every day, 500+ children in England are referred for anxiety, but delays, lack of capacity, and crisis-driven care are failing them—at an enormous cost ...

Lifespace was thrilled to help Alcester and Stratford Roundtable again with their Santa’s Sleigh in December. We were pleased to receive a generous donation from Vice Chair Alan Barlow on Wednesday 22nd Jan along with many other local charities and groups.

Thanks again to Alcester and Stratfor ...

Last week, just as the school year was starting back, a group of Lifeapace staff braved the floods and freezing temperatures for a day of training to expand our practice even further.

Later this year we'll officially launch our new service and all will be revealed.. ...

Our offices are now closed but we'll be back on 6 January.We know that Christmas can sometimes be tough. If you need support whilst we're away here are some numbers that young people have told us can help. ...

School's out for Christmas and we ended the term with our Christmas Lifespace Way training day. We started the morning with a keynote speech from our founder, Christopher Spriggs. Chris shared a little of our founding story and how by being present, genuine and brave we can create a much-n ...

This week our Lifespace elves were back out helping Santa.A team of seven helpers joined Santa and Shakespeare Lions on their route around Snitterfield.Thanks to Andrea, Christian and Ingrid (pictured) and Rob, Jeremy, Marina, Susanna (not pictured) for all your help. ...

Last night a team of volunteers from Lifespace joined Alcester and Stratford Round Table and a very important VIP on a festive journey around Studley.We'll be back out again next week with Shakespeare Lions on their Shottery route. ...

We're looking to develop our team and are excited to be advertising for our next Assistant Youth Worker and our spring cohort of Volunteer Mentors.

If you want to work for an organisation that's passionate about what we do, friendly and committed to making a real difference for young people, Lifespac ...

Lifespace joined colleagues from across Rank Foundation's network at a conference in Manchester.

We collectively celebrated our sector, emerging talent, the power of connection and how great leaders grow together! There were so many inspiring leaders, great causes and sound bites including a rem ...

We're still on a high following a fantastic strategy day on Saturday 9 November.

Members of Lifespace's Youth Advisory Panel, volunteers, staff and trustees came together to celebrate The Lifespace Way and help shape our future direction. We also started to consider how we should mark our ...

We had a wonderful time chatting with Vic Minnett from BBC Coventry & Warwickshire about BBC Children In Need and how, with their support, we provide one-to-one mentoring and group work for children and young people.

Lewis and Becca from our Youth Advisory Panel joined our CEO Lisa, sh ...

We've been gathering feedback from young people, schools and parents about the services we provide. 

Here's just a snapshot.. 

We're delighted to unveil our refreshed Business Plan!

Over recent months we've been reviewing our three year plan, consulting with young people, volunteers, staff and trustees to collectively set our targets for the upcoming year, and finesse our USP...

WE see each young person as unique and ta ...

Our team have just finished a very thought provoking and sobering day of safeguarding training delivered by, the very knowledgeable and engaging, Adrian Over.

Each year our mentors undertake safeguarding refresher training, ensuring that they have the tools they need to do their jobs well. This week ...

Yesterday we delivered our latest volunteer training day, catching up the last few recruits for our new school year. It was great to welcome Helen, Christine, Thea and Chris to the Lifespace Team.

It was great to also see fellow volunteer mentor Andy deliver his first cohort of training for us, havin ...

Over the summer we've been reviewing the numbers and are pleased to report another record breaking year. 

We delivered a total of 4,603 mentoring hours. On average each young person received 7.5 hours off face-to-face time with their mentor (this doesn't include the admin and support time) ...

Our Youth Advisory Panel know how receiving exam results can be as stressful as sitting them. 

That's why they've put together for their top tips on coping with the anxious wait and marking the event.
...

Poverty has a devastating impact on children’s mental health.

We’re backing Centre for Mental Health, Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition and Save the Children UKs call for the Government to deliver on its pledge of a child poverty strategy alongside a cross-government me ...

School's out for summer and our mentors are taking a well earned rest! But before we packed up our pencil cases we were already preparing for next term.

Earlier this month we were delighted to invite our founder, Christopher Spriggs, back to Lifespace, helping us to reset 'The Lifespace Way' with a ...

Alongside the Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC), Lifespace and 58 other organisations have signed a letter to all political leaders demanding the children and young people are prioritised in their election sharing their stark polling findings and asks of the next governmen ...

We'd like to thank Mo and the team at Naya in Henley In Arden for hosting a wonderful charity dinner for us last night.

And many thanks to all those loyal Lifespace supporters who came along - we raised a fantastic £1250.

HUGE well done to Ben Humphries on completing Manchester Half Marathon with a time of 1:45 this morning.

Ben has been raising funds for Lifespace and is still accepting donations through our BigGive #Kind2Mind campaign. With just two days to go we're at £3,900 towards our goal of £5,000. ...

👉🏽 Do you think young people are amazing? 🤩
👉🏽 Would you like to find out more about Lifespace and how you could help local children and young people grow in confidence, find their voice?
👉🏽 Full training, clinical supervision and optional social events throughout the year.
👉🏽 Pop along to our ...

This is your reminder that you've not had a good curry in a while. Why don't you join us for dinner? We're working with Naya estaurant in Henley-In-Arden to host a three course fundraising dinner. Surely there's no tastier way to raise money for a local charity??

We're taking part in BigGive's #Kind2Mind campaign to improve the mental health of children and young people across the UK. Lifespace is one of 150 good causes selected by BigGive to receive match funding towards our target.

From noon on Tuesday 14 until noon on Tuesday 28 May our donations will be D ...

Last week marked the official launch of Stratford Youth Collective as we also unveiled the amazing Stratford Youth Hub.Lifespace Trust is one of 5 founding members of the newly formed CIC, together with Escape Arts New Meaning Training Warwickshire ILEAP Charity and Warwickshire Pride - helped into ...

We love talking about our work so, when we were asked to speak on Welcombe Radio and to Stratford Herald in a matter of weeks, how could we refuse? Our CEO Lisa Carroll chatted with Pennie throughout her "Connecting Stratford Upon Avon" programme about our work, and our friends with Stratford Youth ...

We've had a busy day supporting Stratford's Shakespeare Half Marathon. A team of ten Lifespace volunteers joined the Run Through team to hand out refreshments and medals at the finish line. Well done to all the runners and volunteers.

Shireen, one of our amazing volunteer mentors, received an unsung hero award from High Sheriff of Warwickshire Sophie Hilleary. 

We're so proud of Shireen, and all our team, for the life changing work they do, week after week.
She commented: "The people we saw at Shire Hall, were awarded for thei ...

Yesterday we finished off the year with a team training day and festive social.

We were joined by Mark Phillips, Systemic Psychotherapist and Chair of Lifeways Charity who launched the day with a keynote speech around youth-centred delivery and the significant impact that this approach has on o ...

This week Lifespace launch our new three year strategy with ambitious plans to be in even more places where young people need us and seen as a beacon of good practice.

We've been working hard behind the scenes over the past few months, gaining feedback from paid and volunteer staff, young people and ...

Did you spot us on the TV and radio?

Lifespace were delighted to see Ellie share her story as part of #BBCChildrenInNeed2023. You can watch a shortened version here.. Children in Need: Stratford-upon-Avon charity supports young people - BBC News

We couldn't be more proud of Ellie for the co ...

I'm Lisa, I grew up in Kenilworth and went to Trinity. I live in Coventry with my husband, three children and a lot of pets!
 
For the last 17 years I have worked across housing and youth charities in the Midlands. The overarching theme has been about giving participants, and in particular young ...

What a wonderful night we had at our fundraising supper this week which, after costs, raised an impressive £2,500. 

Thank you to our fabulous hosts Sue and Brian Westmacott fora wonderful meal and to our friends and supporters for your company, conversation and generosity.

We're hugely pass ...