09/03/2026
The raw reality behind New Forest Outreach Support and why we sometimes ask for help...
I just wanted to write a message to help people understand a bit more about what New Forest Outreach Support actually is and why sometimes you might see us fundraising or asking for support.
We are a not for profit community interest company, not a standard business. That means nobody is taking profit from this. Everything that comes in goes straight back into running the service, supporting families, paying staff and trying to improve the hub.
When I first started New Forest Outreach Support I had £4. That was genuinely all I had to start building it.
Since then everything has been built slowly with a lot of hard work, support from the community and people believing in what we are trying to do.
The reason this exists is because there are a lot of children, especially those with additional needs, who struggle to access mainstream clubs or activities. Many places are not set up for them. It can be too overwhelming, too busy, or there simply is not the support they need.
What we try to do is create a space where those children can come and feel comfortable, safe and understood.
A big part of what we do is also 1 to 1 support. Sometimes children just need someone to sit with them, listen to them and help them work through things at their own pace. A lot of the time that support is emotional support, helping them build confidence, manage feelings and feel understood. We do that because we genuinely care about the children and their wellbeing, not because we are chasing outcomes or ticking boxes.
Supporting children with additional needs also means things run very differently to many typical activity settings. Often we have one member of staff supporting just two or three children, and sometimes even two members of staff supporting one child depending on their needs. For some of the children we work with that level of support is absolutely necessary for them to feel safe and able to take part.
Some of the situations we support children through can be incredibly meaningful and the impact can be huge, but they are also things we cannot publicly share because protecting the children and safeguarding always comes first. That can make it difficult for people to always see the full picture of the work that is happening behind the scenes.
At the same time we are still trying to finish parts of the hub. We are already using the space, but there are things we are still working towards like the sensory ball pit area, improving the kitchen so we can do life skills like cooking, and making sure the building is fully accessible.
As a non profit, running something like this comes with a lot of costs that people do not always see. Staffing, national insurance, insurance, waste management, and making sure everything is compliant all adds up quickly. On top of that the cost of everything has gone up.
To keep things running we always have to keep these costs in mind and fundraise as much as possible. Our services are actually very low cost compared to many services in the sector, but we also know that for parents and carers they can still feel expensive. That is something we are always trying to balance.
We also created something called the Inclusive Access Fund. This is basically a pot of money we keep aside to help families when they are struggling to afford support or activities for their children. It allows us to subsidise sessions so children can still attend even if their family is going through a difficult time financially. I created this because I do not believe children should have different opportunities simply because their family might be facing financial barriers.
At the moment the fund itself does not yet have money sitting in it because so much of our focus and resources have gone into getting the hub set up and running properly and safely. But it is something that means a lot to me and something we hope to build so that in the future we can help even more families.
So when you see us fundraising, asking for donations, or trying to raise money for things around the hub, it is not because we are a business trying to make money. It is because we are trying to keep something going that genuinely helps children and families in our community.
Everything here has been built step by step from almost nothing.
And honestly, without the support of the community we simply would not be able to do this. Every person who shares a post, volunteers their time, donates, or even just encourages what we are doing plays a part in helping us keep going.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far and believed in what we are trying to build!
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