LAST year the NSPCC’s Childline service delivered almost 200,000 counselling sessions to young people in the UK, who contacted them with a wide range of concerns, including abuse and neglect, bullying and loneliness and mental health issues.

For the last 37 years Childline has been there for millions of children and served as a lifeline for many. The service relies on public donations for the majority of its funding. Now the NSPCC has developed a new way for the public to make a simple donation directly to Childline either as a one-off or regular payments. Our new Minutes That Matter initiative provides the chance to donate towards supporting a child by sponsoring Childline calls.

It’s free for children to contact Childline, but the cost of answering every phone call is around £4 - about the same as a cup of coffee from a high street chain. It might not sound like much, but a single call to one of our counsellors can make a huge difference for a child who needs help. Just accessing a safe space where they can speak their minds with zero judgement can be an enormous help.

By choosing to sponsor calls, you’ll give a child vital minutes they might need with a trained counsellor. Those minutes give children a voice and a listening ear and could change or save a young person’s life.

Childline was set up by Dame Esther Rantzen in 1986 and became part of the NSPCC in 2006. Dame Esther’s daughter Rebecca Wilcox is currently training as a volunteer for the service as she deputises for her mother’s role as Childline President. We are hugely grateful for every donation. But we want to give our supporters more to help them feel invested in Childline and that’s where Minutes that Matter and our colleague Helen come in. Once they’ve donated, supporters will receive insight about the day-to-day workings of Childline from Helen, one of the service’s volunteers, showing how their contribution makes a difference to young people contacting the service.

We want the public to know that their money makes a difference to the lives of children, and inviting them on this journey through the Childline service is the perfect way to show how important their contribution will be.

Many of you will have grown up knowing that Childline has been there for children over the last three decades. We know times are tight, but Minutes that Matter gives a chance to make a small occasional donation, safe in the knowledge that it goes directly towards helping a young person in need. Search ‘Minutes that Matter’ or visit nspcc.org.uk.