WeMindTheGap and the Westminster Foundation announce a 5-year support partnership in Cheshire West and Chester.

We are extremely proud to announce a 5-year partnership with the Westminster Foundation enabling us to expand our programmes to young people into Cheshire West & Chester.

2025 sees the start of us working with the foundation on the development of our WeInspire programme, which aims to address the growing issue of low attendance and disengagement with education for pupils aged 11-15. Providing the right support to pupils and their parents to improve confidence, social anxiety and resilience is essential to improving attendance, restoring trust in schools and building a sense of belonging.

A WeInspire programme runs for an initial 12 weeks with a selected group of pupils providing weekly face to face sessions, virtual support, group activities, regular communication with parents, a 1-1 mentor for pupils as well as impartial parental support from our team.

Our aim is to achieve some wonderful outcomes that will help the young people we’ll be supporting, with their onward journey.

Our first outcome is for pupils to improve their understanding of their capability, opportunity and motivation to participate in school and have a clear pathway for their progression and next steps.

Secondly, we work towards improving social skills, reducing anxiety, and building a greater sense of emotional well-being and regulation.

Our final outcome will be to improve decision-making, develop the ability to express opinions respectfully, support for each pupil to develop their own identity, and make more positive choices.

Ali Wheeler, CEO of WeMindTheGap says.  “We are delighted and grateful that the Westminster Foundation has chosen us to deliver such vital services into Cheshire West & Chester.  We can’t think of a better partner.  We are extremely proud of our WeInspire programme, seeing the progress pupils are making after such a short amount of time.  We can’t wait to get started in Cheshire West & Chester.

Bel Crewe, Grants Strategy Manager at the Westminster Foundation says “WeInspire is a really exciting programme, and we are thrilled to be part of this journey with WeMindTheGap.  We have been very impressed with the organisation, their high levels of professionalism alongside a clear understanding of how to nurture and support the young people they work with. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this initiative will have on the lives of many young people and their families in Cheshire West & Chester.”

Over the coming months WeMindTheGap will be approaching schools in Cheshire West & Cheshire to discuss programme opportunities with the aim to begin first programmes in April.

About the Westminster Foundation

The Westminster Foundation is an independent grant making trust and registered charity, representing the charitable activity of The Duke of Westminster and Grosvenor businesses, that provides long term sustainable help and direction to vulnerable young people. Led by The Duke of Westminster, we are passionately committed to giving young people the attention, care and direction that we should all be able to take for granted. We believe that early positive intervention is critical to set the direction of a healthy, secure and fulfilling life.

The Foundation’s funding is focused on creating opportunities for young people (0-25) and their families to have the resilience, skills and capacity to lead happy and healthy lives. Through creating these opportunities, we aim to tackle the causes and impact of inter-generational inequality.

www.westminsterfoundation.org.uk