Milton Keynes youth mental health charity to close over funding

YiS has seen a big increase in demand for services since the Covid pandemic

A charity that helps young people with mental health issues is to close after 42 years, despite a rise in demand.

YiS, based in Milton Keynes, said "significant funding challenges" had put it under "unprecedented strain" and it would shut on December 31.

The charity offers counselling, does education work and runs drop in sessions for 11- to 21-year-olds.

YiS, which supports about 1,500 people a year, has yet to respond to a request for comment.

Grace Spicer lives in Milton Keynes and used YiS services in 2018 and 2019

Grace Spicer, 21, who used the counselling service when she was 16 and 17, said the help she received was "very significant".

She said NHS mental health services were "overflowing" and losing YiS would mean a "real struggle for young people in Milton Keynes and the NHS".

In January it had seen a 42% rise in demand for counselling since the Covid pandemic.

In a letter to supporters, chair of the trustee board Michelle Smyth described the charity as a "beacon of hope and support for countless young people".

She wrote: "Despite our best efforts, the current financial landscape has proven challenging, leading us to the difficult realisation that we can no longer sustain our mission."

Legacy grants are to be made available to other local charities through the Milton Keynes Community Foundation.