Shaping, Influencing, and Leading Innovative Policy and Practice

Trelya has a long-standing commitment to developing innovative services and interventions to tackle social, health, and educational inequality. With a multidisciplinary team of qualified professionals and an innovative group of local volunteers, we address the diverse needs of our community. Operating from our strategically managed three-storey community centre, Trelya hosts permanent tenants such as the NHS dental surgery Smile Together, Cafcass and The Primary Care Network’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub. Additionally, over 20 other services, including health visitors, social care, and school nurses, regularly operate from our centre, ensuring comprehensive support for our community. In addition to the partnerships and initiatives described below, Trelya has a long-standing relationship with Social Care, focused on safeguarding the most vulnerable families through a holistic and innovative approach. As the local go-to organisation for crisis prevention and tailored support, Trelya works closely with Social Care to manage referrals and provide pre and post-child protection interventions. We emphasise early help by having a dedicated family worker regularly attend Trelya sessions, which de-stigmatises social care and encourages earlier family engagement before crises escalate. Trelya's influence extends locally, regionally, and nationally as we continuously work to shape and lead policy and practice. Our strategic partnerships and community-focused initiatives demonstrate our leadership in addressing inequality and improving outcomes for the most disadvantaged individuals. Through our innovative approach and collaborative efforts, we strive to make a lasting impact on the lives of those we serve.
2024
2024
Trelya win two Inclusion Cornwall Awards including the Winner of Winners
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Trelya to provide a home for Cornwall’s first free legal advice clinic
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Trelya collaborates with Cornwall Council’s Practice Development & Safeguarding Standards Team and Cornwall Children’s Health Team to introduce an innovative approach to tackling health inequality.
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Trelya is invited to work with The University of Leeds to address the impact of ACEs at national level
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Trelya’s collaboration with Tate St.Ives cited in Queens University NY publication
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Trelya joins Cornwall’s Climate and Environment Alliance.
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2023
2023
Tackling mental health inequalities: Trelya chosen as the co-location home for The Primary Care Network’s Mental Health and Well Being Hub
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Trelya receives recognition from central governments Department of Work and Pensions
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Trelya leads international partnership using the arts to address mental health stigma and inequalities among marginalised young people
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Trelya becomes new home for SEND under 5s sessions delivered by Cornwall Council’s Child Development Teaching Team
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2022
2022
Trelya’s Executive Director is selected from over 750 candidates to become a Trustee of national funder to shape funding priorities
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Trelya partners with Cornwall Council’s Early Years Inclusions and SEND Team to tackle educational inequalities in the early years
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2021
2021
Trelya selected to work with The Department of Health and Social Cares Health and Wellbeing Alliance to address health inequalities for families during pregnancy journey
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Influencing National Policy through Trelya’s work with The Department of Health and Social Care
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Trelya becomes the only voluntary sector organisation to sit on the governing board of Cornwall County Council’s Adult and Community Education Service
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Trelya partners with Cornwall Children’s Health Team to deliver innovative relationshipbased and trauma-informed collaborative model of working to address health inequalities
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Trelya becomes a key member of Cornwall’s Children, Young People and Families Alliance
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2020
2020
Trelya’s Early Years provision is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted
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Trelya rated ‘Outstanding’ by Government Inspectors
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Trelya’s work addressing inequalities with young people is chosen to be evaluated by The Centre For Youth Impact
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2019
2019
Trelya’s work around addressing social, health and educational inequalities is featured in a series of articles by the BBC
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Trelya partners with Cornwall Music Service Trust to address mental health inequalities
Read more
2016
2016
Trelya’s work with young families receives national press coverage through The Guardian
Read more
Trelya’s launch of specialist Early Years service Skylar, tackling health and education inequalities in the Early Years, is featured in specialist publication ‘Nursery World’
Read more
Trelya partners and co-locates with NHS dental surgery at its community centre to address health inequalities
Read more
2008 - 2015
2008 - 2015

Trelya is gifted The Lescudjack Centre by the local community

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Trelya becomes first international partner of ground baking USA based non-profit ‘Friends of The Children”
Read more
Trelya awarded ‘Gold’ standard for outcomes reporting
Read more
Commission for Rural Communities commissions a model of good practice based on Trelya’s youth work model
Read more
Trelya wins national award for work with young people to address alcohol related health inequalities
Read more
Trelya wins Lloyds TSB Foundations Children’s Charity of The Year Award
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2001
2001
Trelya is formed by a group of local people to address social, health and educational opportunities for children and young people living in West Cornwall’s most disadvantaged communities

Trelya win two Inclusion Cornwall Awards including the Winner of Winners

Trelya won two awards at the Inclusion Cornwall Awards, on 27th September 2024. The awards, celebrating 20 years of Inclusion Cornwall, were in recognition of outstanding inclusion work always putting people first, and the winner of winners’ award from the event. Trelya were nominated for the award by the Partnership Manager for Devon and Cornwall at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) due to their development of strong partnerships with the Trelya team, specifically with the team from the Gul adult skills project, who work closely and inclusively with people referred to them from the DWP.

Inclusion Cornwall is a dedicated voice for inclusion in Cornwall and are committed to working both on a strategic level and within the community to challenge and reduce the impact of social exclusion. Find out more here.

Trelya to provide a home for Cornwall’s first free legal advice clinic

Cornwall's first free Legal Advice Clinic, which will be located at Trelya's community centre, is led by Barrister John Gallagher of Gatehouse Chambers in London and supported by specialist law firms from across Cornwall. Opening in April 2025, the clinic will operate weekly, addressing legal issues such as family law, domestic violence, housing, landlord-tenant disputes, neighbour and boundary disputes, inheritance/probate matters, small contracts and immigration. By providing free legal advice, Trelya addresses inequality, ensuring marginalised community members access essential legal support that they could otherwise not afford. This initiative complements Trelya's holistic approach to tackling social, health, and educational inequalities, offering comprehensive support to vulnerable families.

Trelya collaborates with Cornwall Council's Practice Development & Safeguarding Standards Team and Cornwall Children’s Health Team to introduce an innovative approach to tackling health inequality

This initiative involves medical, social care, and health visiting students completing placements at Trelya. Placements will inform professional practice on addressing health inequalities through individualised, culturally sensitive interventions, relationship-based working, and consideration of environmental factors. This hands-on experience equips future professionals with the skills and insights needed to improve health outcomes in marginalised communities.

Trelya is invited to work with The University of Leeds to address the impact of ACEs at national level

Trelya's collaboration with the Attune project, funded by UK research councils, is poised to significantly influence national policy on adolescent mental health. Attune focuses on understanding how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and early trauma affect adolescents' mental health using arts-based methods and extensive longitudinal data analysis. Trelya participated in the "Attuned to Trauma" strand, which involves working closely with settings and services that support adolescents.

Trelya's staff and service users informed the consultation phase, contributing to co-producing an organisational resource aimed at enhancing trauma-informed practices. This resource, developed over three full-day workshops and implemented for six months, will be evaluated to inform both national practice and guidelines. Trelya’s involvement provides access to new insights, shares best practice, and helps shape a trauma-informed framework. The resulting data and findings will feed into broader policy discussions, ensuring that the experiences and needs of adolescents who have faced ACEs are effectively addressed at a national level. Trelya’s collaborative approach ensures that policies are grounded in real-world experiences, fostering better support systems for adolescents across the UK.

Trelya’s collaboration with Tate St.Ives cited in Queens University NY publication

Due to be published in 2025 a book on Youth in Art Museums, published by Routledge and commissioned by Queens University NY will explore Trelya’s work with Tate St.Ives through CIRCUIT, a major UK wide museum programme on young people’s agency and organisational change. Trelya and Tate St.Ives created an innovative Pop-Up Tate studio in a disused cafe in Penzance, the high impact of which is cited and discussed in the publication.

Trelya joins Cornwall’s Climate and Environment Alliance

By participating in the alliance, Trelya collaborates with 62 diverse organisations, including public sector partners, to tackle environmental challenges and build climate resilience. This involvement ensures that Trelya's insights on social, health and educational inequality are integrated into broader climate strategies. Additionally, the alliance's workshops, data collection, and best practice guides help Trelya and other VCSE organisations develop sustainable, resilient practices that benefit marginalised communities across Cornwall.

Tackling mental health inequalities: Trelya chosen as the co-location home for The Primary Care Network’s Mental Health and Well Being Hub

Trelya’s partnership with the Primary Care Network’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub exemplifies innovative collaboration and a commitment to tackling health inequalities. Recognising the critical need to address mental health disparities in our community, Trelya was delighted to become the base for the new hub, which opened its permanent location on the second floor of Trelya’s community centre in July 2023, right in the heart of Penzance East. This co-location has enabled Trelya to work closely with the hub on a daily basis, effectively removing barriers to mental health services for the most marginalised members of our community. By sharing resources and facilities, both organisations have created a seamless support system that integrates innovative community outreach practices with professional mental health care. This partnership model has been cited as best practice in county wide practice-sharing events by a range of sector leaders including a PCN Mental Health Service Lead, a PCN Mental Health and Wellbeing Team Lead, and a county-wide Support and Development Manager. The collaboration not only enhances accessibility to vital mental health services but also fosters a holistic approach to community health and wellbeing, setting a standard for other districts and county’s to follow.

Trelya receives recognition from central governments Department of Work and Pensions

Trelya’s Gul Skills Development Programme works with those furthest from the job markets. The project is recognised as one of the most impactful European Social Fund and Community Led Local Development funded projects in Cornwall, with 77% of participants moving into education, training or employment, compared to an average of 25% on other ESF CLLD funded projects. In light of this, the Strategic Finance Director for central governments Department of Work and Pensions, Alex Skinner visited Trelya in September 2022 saying he wanted to see first hand how Trelya operates.

Trelya leads international partnership using the arts to address mental health stigma and inequalities among marginalised young people

The "Bruk Up Stigma" project showcases Trelya's capacity and reputation for addressing social, health, and education inequalities through innovative and collaborative means. Leading this international partnership, Trelya worked with mental health services, youth charities, and creative arts groups from Nottingham, West Cornwall, and New York. The project used youth led spoken word, music, and the Bruk Up dance form to address mental health stigma and inequalities, highlighting Trelya’s commitment to creative, cross-sector solutions. This success, being one of only two projects funded out of 126 applications, underscores Trelya's effectiveness in fostering impactful social change through arts and partnerships.

Trelya becomes new home for SEND under 5s sessions delivered by Cornwall Council's Child Development Teaching Team

Cornwall Council's Child Development Teaching Team addresses health and education inequalities through its weekly sessions delivered at Trelya for children under 5 who have been identified as having special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These invite-only sessions are crucial in providing early intervention for children who are most in need of support. By focusing on early years, the program ensures that children with SEND receive targeted help during a critical period of their development. Early intervention is key to preventing long-term disparities in health and educational outcomes. The sessions are designed to cater to the individual needs of each child, offering personalised teaching strategies and resources that support their unique development.
The involvement of professionals from the Early Years Inclusion and SEND Service ensures that the support provided is of high quality and tailored to the specific needs of each child. This targeted approach helps to level the playing field for children who might otherwise face significant challenges in their educational journey, reducing the gap between them and their peers. In doing so, the program not only addresses immediate developmental needs but also contributes to greater equity in both health and education outcomes for these children as they grow.

Trelya’s Executive Director is selected from over 750 candidates to become a Trustee of national funder to shape funding priorities

The appointment of Trelya's Executive Director Sharon Rich as a Trustee for The Trusthouse Charitable Foundation has enabled Trelya to significantly influence national grant-making policy. Selected from 750 candidates, Sharon brings invaluable expertise in addressing social, health, and educational inequalities. Her deep understanding of the needs of disadvantaged communities and direct experience with family and community informs the foundation’s strategies. This role enables Trelya's successful approaches to addressing inequalities to shape broader funding priorities, ensuring effective support for vulnerable populations nationwide.

Trelya partners with Cornwall Council’s Early Years Inclusions and SEND Team to tackle educational inequalities in the early years

Trelya's partnership with the Early Years Inclusion and SEND Team exemplifies an innovative approach to reducing educational inequalities. By hosting events and training sessions for the team, and providing one-on-one consultations for families in a familiar setting rather than clinics, Trelya enhances collaborative working in early years settings. This approach ensures that children needing an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) are identified and supported before school entry, aiming to give all children, regardless of their needs, the best start and readiness for school. This is crucial in a community where only 31% of 5-year-olds achieve expected EYFS levels compared to 70% nationally (Department for Education, 2019).

Trelya selected to work with The Department of Health and Social Cares Health and Wellbeing Alliance to address health inequalities for families during pregnancy journey

Formed by the Department of Health and Social Care, the Health and Wellbeing Alliance was established to inform national policy through sector expertise to address health inequalities for for mothers and babies from BAME communities and deprived communities. Through the Alliance, Trelya collaborated with the Maternity Consortium, co-led by Tommy’s and Sands, to address health inequalities for families during the entire pregnancy journey. Trelya worked with the Consortium to facilitate in-depth consultations with Trelya service users, who shared their experiences of disparities in maternity care. This input informed the government's Maternity Disparities Taskforce and the Women and Equalities Committee report. The insights provided by Trelya's service users directly contributed to shaping policies intended to reduce maternity care disparities and enhance health outcomes for disadvantaged women and children.

Influencing National Policy through Trelya’s work with The Department of Health and Social Care

In 2021, Trelya was one of only 19 organisations across England to receive funding from the Department of Health and Social Care’s VCSE Health and Wellbeing Starting Well Fund for its Early Years work through Skylar. This funding aimed to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for mothers in BAME communities or deprived areas during pregnancy and post-birth. Trelya's innovative, community-centred, and holistic approach, which addressed mental health for new and expectant mothers, supported child development, and aimed to prevent obesity and diabetes, provided critical evidence of what works in these areas.
The impact of Trelya's work through this grant has gone onto influence national policy. Maria Caulfield MP, the Women’s Minister and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy, cited Trelya’s impact in her speech at the fund's dissemination of learning event and The Maternity Consortium has incorporated evidence from Trelya's work, demonstrating the program's success and reinforcing its value in shaping national health and wellbeing strategies for mothers and children.

Trelya becomes the only voluntary sector organisation to sit on the governing board of Cornwall County Council's Adult and Community Education Service

Trelya's unique position as the only voluntary sector organisation on the governing board of Cornwall County Council's Adult and Community Education service enables us to directly influence educational policies and practices to tackle inequalities. This role allows Trelya to advocate for the needs of marginalised groups, ensuring that educational programmes are inclusive and accessible. By bringing insights from our grassroots work, we help shape strategies that address barriers to education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all members of the community, thereby reducing educational disparities.

Trelya partners with Cornwall Children’s Health Team to deliver innovative relationship-based and trauma-informed collaborative model of working to address health inequalities

Trelya's partnership with Cornwall Children’s Health Team exemplifies innovative collaboration and tackles health inequalities by integrating relationship-based and trauma-informed health clinics to serve marginalised children and families in one of England's most deprived areas. A key example is the collaborative delivery (by Trelya staff and Health Visitors) of two-year health checks, the first of its kind in Cornwall, is now being rolled out county-wide. This initiative, along with regular school nurse clinics and delivery of 1 to1 packages of care at Trelya’s facilities, has improved health outcomes by ensuring early intervention and fostering trust-based relationships within the community

Trelya becomes a key member of Cornwall’s Children, Young People and Families Alliance

The Alliance has over 50 members and works together to shape policy and practice so that all children and young people in Cornwall  have the rights & opportunities to grow and reach their potential, with positive relationships, physical health and mental wellbeing. Through the Alliance, partners work together to coordinate and develop the offer for children and young people across Cornwall and support and facilitate good safeguarding practice across Cornwall’s VCSE sector.

Trelya’s Early Years provision is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted

In February 2020, Trelya’s Early Years service ‘Skylar’ was rated ‘Outstanding’ across all areas by Ofsted inspectors at our very first inspection. An excerpt from report reads:
Managers and staff share a passionate commitment to offering children and families opportunities to build happy memories and enhance their life experiences. Babies and children thrive in the excellent care of staff. The high staff-to-child ratio means that children receive individual attention, or work in small groups, so that they are offered the very best opportunities to learn. Highly qualified and experienced staff provide children with unique support, based on their excellent understanding of children's individual needs. Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the setting and show great interest in their surroundings. Managers provide a broad curriculum through exceptionally well-equipped play areas and stimulating and highly motivating activities. Staff prioritise and provide outstanding support for children's language skills and emotional development. This helps to successfully prepare children for further learning. The exceptional range of innovative activities means that children are enthusiastic and highly motivated to join in. For example, they show great excitement when the 'music man' arrives. Children listen intently, sing enthusiastically and show high levels of pride as they learn how to copy the actions to their favourite songs. To extend learning, staff provide children with instruments to learn more about rhythms and to experiment with sounds. From the youngest age, children show a keen interest in books and develop early literacy skills. For instance, toddlers become engrossed as they point to pictures and photographs in books. Older children persevere and show determination as they learn to use pencils and scissors with increasing control. Staff involve parents exceptionally well so that children's learning is further supported at home. Parents describe how much their children love to read the books that they take home and play games with the flash cards.

Trelya rated ‘Outstanding’ by Government Inspectors

The ringing endorsement of an ‘Outstanding’ rating for Trelya’s work with young people came from a team of Government Inspectors - from organisations like Ofsted and the Healthcare Commission visiting Trelya at their centre in Penzance. The hugely influential JAR (Joint Area Review) Report said “Trelya provides an outstanding service to vulnerable young people living in a deprived area”. The report went on to praise Trelya’s work in both education and alcohol and illegal drug use and support for “individuals with established or developing problems”.

Trelya’s work addressing inequalities with young people is chosen to be evaluated by The Centre For Youth Impact

In 2018 Trelya was one of 22 organisations across England to be awarded a grant from The Listening Fund, supporting youth-focussed organisations to develop their practice of listening to young people and responding to what they hear. The Listening Fund was supported by the Blagrave Trust, Comic Relief, the National Lottery Community Fund, and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The fund is worth £900,000, which is shared across 22 youth organisations. The Centre for Youth Impact was commissioned to evaluate the Listening Fund. The evaluation aims to understand and assess the impact of the Listening Fund on the practice of the organisations who are in receipt of funding, whilst also making a broader contribution to the evidence base around organisational listening. Trelya was 1 of 6 organisations selected for the case study research which formed an in-depth investigation of Listening Fund projects. The evaluation found that "Trelya has grown into an organisation where flexibility and responsiveness are defining elements of the organisational culture”.

Trelya’s work around addressing social, health and educational inequalities is featured in a series of articles by the BBC

A series of features by the BBC News highlights Trelya's long-term commitment to addressing social, health, and education inequalities in Cornwall. By focusing on innovative community interventions, Trelya has consistently worked to improve outcomes for the most disadvantaged children and families. Our holistic approach, which includes early years care, youth development programs, and partnerships with health services, demonstrates a sustained effort to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage. This commitment has resulted in tangible improvements in health, educational attainment, and social inclusion for many in the community.

You can read a full BBC article here and listen to a BBC radio feature here:

Trelya partners with Cornwall Music Service Trust to address mental health inequalities

Trelya's partnership with Cornwall Music Service Trust (CMST) tackles health inequalities by providing music therapy sessions at Trelya's centre, funded by Trelya. This collaboration ensures access from early childhood to adulthood, focusing on emotional and mental wellbeing. Music therapy enables individuals to express and process emotions through creative expression, overcoming communication barriers by offering an alternative communication method to verbal interventions. This approach helps build self-confidence, social skills, and emotional awareness, providing a voice to the voiceless and fostering a calm environment for those facing turbulent times. Trelya and CMST carefully assess clients to deliver the most effective and supportive therapy. In addition Trelya has a qualified therapeutic practitioner embedded in our organisation and delivering interventions across all services.

Trelya’s work with young families receives national press coverage through The Guardian

The 2016 article highlights the severe impact of child poverty in Cornwall, and Trelya's work is showcased as a key initiative addressing these issues. The national coverage underscores Trelya's innovative approaches and successful strategies in tackling socio-economic challenges. Recognition from a national publication reflects Trelya’s broader impact and ability to serve as a model for other regions facing similar challenges.

Trelya’s launch of specialist Early Years service Skylar, tackling health and education inequalities in the Early Years, is featured in specialist publication ‘Nursery World’

The 2016 Nursery World article demonstrates Trelya's long-term commitment to tackling health and education inequalities. The article recognises the innovation of Trelya’s work and explores Trelya’s approach to addressing inequalities as early as possible, ensuring children experiencing the worst impact of deprivation reach developmental milestones, reach their potential and break the cycle of disadvantage. Despite only 31% of 5 year olds from this community achieving expected levels in EYFS prime areas compared to 70% nationally, 100% of children in Skylar’s first cohort reached their key developmental milestones.

Trelya partners and co-locates with NHS dental surgery at its community centre to address health inequalities

Trelya's partnership with NHS dentist CIC Smile Together addresses health inequalities by providing accessible dental care within the community. Situated in Trelya's Lescudjack Centre, Smile Together offers urgent and emergency NHS dental services, including out-of-hours, special care, paediatric, and orthodontic services. Trelya collaborates to remove barriers to dental care for vulnerable families, such as organising nursery visits to the surgery where children can interact with dental equipment in a fun, non-threatening way. This fosters familiarity and reduces anxiety about dental visits, promoting better oral health for marginalised groups.

Trelya is gifted The Lescudjack Centre by the local community

Owned and operated by Trelya, The Lescudjack Centre is a 3 storey, purpose built community centre previously used to house council-run universal early years services under the Sure Start programme. Situated in the heart of Penzance East, ‘The Lescudjack Centre’ is where all Trelya services operate alongside over 20 partner services. Trelya was gifted the centre in 2015 by the local community in recognition for the positive impact we have had across the community.

Trelya becomes first international partner of ground baking USA based non-profit ‘Friends of The Children'

The high impact, data driven model developed in the USA pairs paid professional mentors, with at risk children over the course of 12+ years, from kindergarten through high school graduation, with incredible results: Third-party evaluation of Friends of The Children shows that:
Trelya became the first international partner to deliver the model and continues to build on it’s commitment to long term, individualised and holistic interventions.

Trelya awarded ‘Gold’ standard for outcomes reporting

Following the award of a grant from the Home Office, Trelya’s outcomes reporting was recognised as ‘Gold’ standard.

Commission for Rural Communities commissions a model of good practice based on Trelya’s youth work model

Established to promote awareness of rural needs amongst decision makers across and beyond government, the Commission for Rural Communities commissioned a model of good practice to enable replication of Trelya’s innovative approach to engaging underserved youth.

Trelya wins national award for work with young people to address alcohol related health inequalities

In 2008 Trelya delivered youth led project fLash, which addressed health inequalities among young people living in high areas of deprivation. This project used mobile units to enable “guerrilla” projection of short films about alcohol and health. fLash received national recognition after being selected from 250 entries to go on and win The Health and Wellbeing Children and Young People's Services Award, organised by CYP Now in association with the Children's Workforce Development Council. The award was presented at a gala dinner opened by Children's Secretary Ed Balls. fLash went on to be cited in an academic paper published by Psychology and Health which publishes works on the psychological and psychosocial aspects of physical illnesses and their prevention using communication and psychological interventions. (de Visser RO, Wheeler Z, Abraham C, Smith JA. 'Drinking is our modern way of bonding': young people's beliefs about interventions to encourage moderate drinking. Psychol Health. 2013;28(12):1460-80. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2013.828293. Epub 2013 Aug 16. PMID: 23947783).

Trelya wins Lloyds TSB Foundations Children’s Charity of The Year Award

In 2005 Trelya was delighted to be awarded the prestigious Children’s Charity of The Year Award by The Lloyds TSB Foundation for it’s innovative work with children and young people.
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