A WYRE Forest homeless charity has been awarded thousands of pounds for their efforts in safeguarding young people.

The Nightstop and Mediation service will receive a core grant of £6,500 and a year's strategic planning support after winning at the 2018 Weston Charity Awards. Almost 200 charities applied for the award which celebrates front-line charities that support the welfare of youth in the North of England, the Midlands and Wales with incomes under 5 million.

Nightstop work with people aged between 16 and 26 who are homeless or risk of homelessness.

There are 20 winning charities in total who will also receive a programme of mentoring from Pilotlight, a group who help strengthen skills of organisations and increase their impact.

Nightstop's CEO Judith Ford said: "We are delighted to have been selected for a Weston Charity Award.

"Wyre Forest Nightstop strives to offer young people a quality service, giving them somewhere safe to stay and helping them to resolve family conflict.

"We are excited at the prospect of working with Weston and Pilotlight and we are very grateful to be given this opportunity to focus on the work we do with the support of partners from the business world."

The Garfield Weston foundation have been supporting front-line charities since 2014 to helping institutions in vulnerable areas meet the needs of their communities.

Philippa Charles, Director of the Garfield Weston Foundation which established the awards said: “Small charities have stepped up to deliver essential services in their communities and are extremely adept at being highly creative with limited resources.

Pilotlight Chief Executive Gillian Murray said: “Large charities have been in spotlight in recent months for the right and for the wrong reasons.

"Meanwhile, up and down the country small charities are quietly facing rising demands for their services.

"Our programme is an opportunity for the award winners to develop the skills they need to make the maximum impact, even as they are being stretched to capacity.”