Number 22 Community Counselling Services provides free and confidential counselling to adults and young people in Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough, supporting those in distress to feel valued and heard.

After 40 years as a council-run service, Number 22 faces the challenge of ‘going it alone’.  We know what that feels like and are pleased to be supporting this vital organisation on its journey to independent charitable status.

Our local council, the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, asked us to support Number 22 Community Counselling Services as they ‘spun out’ of council control and established themselves as an independent registered charity.

We were perfectly placed to offer advice, as OCE was formed following a local council spin-out and we are now an employee owned community interest company.  We regularly provide advice to other organisations on the best model for their activities and we are delighted to be helping Number 22 on their journey.  

Two of our team worked with Number 22, providing research and business planning advice and facilitating a half day business planning workshop for trustees and staff.  We subsequently secured over £20,000 of funding to help establish the new charity, including funds for volunteer training and development costs, and for the design of a pilot project to triage new clients which proved valuable. Number 22 intends to be established as an independent charity during 2020.