Just before Christmas you may have noticed some buildings in Ryde being lit up green and thought that it was related to the festive season.
However, the real purpose of the green glow from St Thomas’s Heritage centre, Aspire Ryde, Network Ryde and Ryde Town Council’s offices related to a campaign by the children’s charity, the NSPCC.
‘Here for the Children’
The buildings were shining bright as part of the ‘Here For Children’ campaign for the Christmas season.
The lighting up took place on Tuesday 21st December – the longest night of the year – as hundreds of people took part in a 5km ‘Walk For Children’ event to support the NSPCC.
Across the UK
As well as in Ryde, on this night, landmarks across the UK, supported the charity by lighting up and turning the NSPCC’s trademark green colour.
The event aimed to raise awareness of the charity and their hard-working Childline counsellors who are there for children, offering a beacon of light in their darkest times.
Record number of sessions about loneliness
The NSPCC reported that December 2020 saw Childline deliver a record number of counselling sessions about loneliness for a single month, with the service delivering nearly 600 in December alone.
Loneliness is particularly affecting younger children. In 2020/21, there was a 47 percent increase in counselling sessions with children aged 11 and under when compared to the year before.
