The VINCI UK Foundation has donated £5,000 to Home-Start Horizons to help support families who cannot afford transport costs, enabling more families to access our support groups.

Established in 1973, Home-Start Horizons is a charity dedicated to providing family support and services across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland. Home-Start Horizons was founded by Margaret Harrison in Leicester on November 1, 1973. She started the charity to provide support to families with young children, particularly those facing challenges such as social isolation, domestic abuse, lone parenting, poverty, illness, and disability. The aim was to ensure that every child had the best possible start in life by offering practical and emotional support to parents and caregivers. Over the past five decades, Home-Start Horizons has expanded its reach and developed specialised services, positively impacting the lives of 15,000 families and 24,000 children, helping them to thrive and stay safe.

“Home-Start Horizons supports families facing significant challenges like domestic violence, poverty, and mental health issues. With 51 years of experience, we know these issues can impact children for life. Our mission is to improve children’s early years, prevent harm, and support parents in fostering their child’s development. We’ve faced many challenges, including the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Many children are not school-ready, and we often provide the only support for desperate families. Our work helps children learn, socialise, and develop, making them more school ready. Parents also build resilience through our support. Support from organisations like the VINCI UK Foundation is vital. The VINCI UK Foundation grant helps families attend groups despite financial pressures. We appreciate this support and hope for future partnerships to continue our essential work” says Stuart Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer, Home-Start Horizons.

The donation will help cover the costs for families to access their support groups, which provide mental health support, specialist interventions for post-natal illness, domestic abuse, peer support, childhood development milestones, and school readiness. Cost is a significant barrier for most families they support, so they fund taxis to ensure this is not an obstacle. Without this assistance, many families would not attend, impacting both them and their children.

The project benefits families with children under five. Between December 2022 and December 2023, Home-Start Horizons received 312 referrals, including 41 from families with disabled parents or children, and 109 identified as having experienced domestic abuse. Approximately 10% of the children are typically on the child protection register. Home-Start Horizons addresses potential barriers related to gender, culture, language, accessibility and venue placement, ensure their staff and volunteers understand the diverse challenges faced by different societal groups.

In addition to the financial contribution, Home-Start Horizons have been receiving the support of VINCI UK Foundation sponsors, Ruth Ottley, Head Coordinator, VINCI UK Foundation and Hazel Waring, Finance Administrator, Actemium UK, who have been visiting the support groups, being an ear to mothers who wish to share their experiences.

“Home-Start Horizons is a fantastic charity and to have a double sponsorship along with Hazel makes it an absolute pleasure. Together, we can visit the sessions, play with the children, and chat with the mothers. It has been quite an eye opener learning the tragic abuse that some of them have suffered but to be able to offer a listening ear means such a lot and we are grateful to be able to do that.  These women are a true inspiration and with the support of the charity, they are making a difference in their children’s lives.” Says Ruth Ottley, Head Coordinator, VINCI UK foundation.

The VINCI UK Foundation was founded in 2016 with the mission to strengthen communities by improving access to employment, housing and mobility for society’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable people.

Since then, the VINCI UK Foundation has combined almost £1.6 million in financial support with the practical skills and expertise of VINCI employees to help over 289 charities or community projects championing social inclusion across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Find out more about Home-Start Horizons and the VINCI UK Foundation.