THE Haven is a pilot service which aims to tackle the mental health crisis facing children and young people.

Developed by Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC), The Haven wellbeing and resilience service, at The Fraser Centre in Tranent, is available to families living within the catchment area of Ross High School and has been running for nine months.

It aims to support families with children struggling with their mental health, and to prevent problems escalating to the point where professional intervention is needed.

The initiative picked up the Charity Champion of the Year Award over The Hollies volunteer Rosemary Moffat, homeless support charity Steps to Hope, and The Sporting Memories Foundation.

Kirsten Love, project worker with The Haven, said: “The people we were up against were all fantastic. We are so pleasantly surprised.

“It’s going really well since we started nine months ago. We have been quite busy, which is good, but because of the nature of the service it just highlights the need for us being there.

“We have already started to see some positive outcomes, which is good, and built some amazing relationships with the local community.”

Paula Lackie, wellbeing and resilience support worker with The Haven, added: “The plan is to keep it going and hopefully make it a bit bigger as we continue to operate.

“It’s great that we have had so much support from the local community and feel so welcomed in Tranent.

“This award means a lot to us and we are just glad to be doing our part.”