FIVE schools across South Wales will benefit from a project to help develop mental and emotional wellbeing thanks to support from the Edenstone Foundation.

Partnering with the Proton Foundation, the Edenstone Foundation, has pledged a £5,000 grant to The Flourish Project.

The Flourish Project is a programme designed to equip young people with the tools to develop healthy self-esteem, mental and emotional well-being.

The funding will be shared between Alway Primary School, Ponthir Church in Wales School and Tredegar Park Primary School in Newport and Libanus Primary School and Blackwood Primary School in Blackwood.

Flourish project manager Phil Mann explained: “We launched the Flourish Programme in 2017 and have already helped around 1,000 young people develop a healthy self-esteem, mental and emotional well-being.

"There’s an increasing awareness of mental health and the importance of developing a healthy mindset, particularly in the wake of the pandemic.

“With the support of the Edenstone Foundation we will be able to reach more young people, helping them learn to create helpful thinking pattern and 'growth' mindsets, and to begin to recognise and set goals for the future.”

The Flourish Programme is targeted at nine to 16-year-olds and usually runs over eight one-hour sessions.

Topics covered include exploring how beliefs are formed, the impact of social media on mental health, healthy online habits, and the importance of setting goals.

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The Proton Foundation has reported increases of between 24 and 31 per cent in happiness, mental wellbeing and self-esteem by those who have taken part in the programme.

The Edenstone Foundation funding for the project is has come from the Magor-based Edenstone Group’s two housing brands – Edenstone Homes and Bluebell Homes.

The Foundation receives a proportion of the proceeds of every home sold to support good causes.

Chris Edge, from the Edenstone Foundation, said: “We recognise that children and young people need help and support as they try to figure out who they are and where they fit with their peers, while also completing their schoolwork and preparing themselves for the future.

"The challenges of the last 18 months have made this even more apparent and it’s never been more importance to safeguard the future health of our children.

“By partnering with the Proton Foundation, we’ll be supporting the delivery of the Flourish Programme in five schools.

"This will hopefully have a long-term impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people enabling them to flourish into adulthood.”

For more information about the Flourish Project see https://protonfoundation.com/flourish-project

To learn more about The Edenstone Foundation see http://edenstonefoundation.com