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Children’s art therapy charity raises record-breaking amount amid nationwide mental health crisis
Art Therapies for Children currently supports more than 200 pupils across nearly 40 primary schools
July 10, 2025 12:59
Art Therapies for Children currently supports more than 200 pupils across nearly 40 primary schools
July 10, 2025 12:59Amid a nationwide rising mental health crisis in young people, Art Therapies for Children (ATFC) raised a record-breaking sum at its annual fundraising dinner this week.
ATFC, which provides therapy to some 210 children every week in 36 primary schools in the Jewish community and beyond, raised over £160,000 on Monday evening to go towards supporting the charity’s “life-changing” work.
Formed in 2017, the charity provides art therapy to children who have slipped through the cracks of support systems. It also supports children with grief and loss, divorce and family breakdowns as well as children with learning difficulties, autism and anxiety.
With sessions taking place on campuses inside the school day, ATFC uses easily accessible art therapy to help children, who sometimes struggle putting their pain into words, process anxiety, trauma, loss or emotional issues.
Youth in the UK reportedly face a mental health emergency, with one in five children in England suffering from a probable mental health disorder in 2023 and one in three young people, on average, experiencing trauma in childhood or adolescence, doubling their risk of long-term illness. Many children are still left unsupported because they don’t meet formal diagnostic thresholds, according to the charity.
Helping just 30 children when the charity first began, ATFC now works with more than 200 children in nearly 40 schools, primarily in London, but also Manchester, with plans to expand to schools around the country.
CEO Natasha Ainley said there were “children in every classroom quietly in crisis. Many won’t receive formal help, but they still carry the weight of trauma. Thanks to our donors, we step in where others can’t, and every session we provide helps a child feel seen, supported and stronger.”
Monday’s fundraising dinner, taking place at the Nobu Hotel, included the personal story of a mother and her nine-year-old daughter whose father died following an accident. ATFC provided anticipation therapy and then the tools to support the child once her father had passed away.
Guests also took part in a raffle and a silent auction, with proceeds going directly to fund art therapy sessions for children currently on ATFC’s growing waiting list.
AFTC is currently calling on the public, philanthropists, and businesses to ensure income or waiting lists are never obstacles to a child getting the help they need.
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