THOUSANDS of pounds have been donated to a charity preventing child cruelty.

North Wales Freemasons, through the Covid-19 Response Group, have donated £4,860 to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s (NSPCC) North Wales Childline service, based in Prestatyn.

The donation will be used to fund the purchase of five new laptops for Childline counsellors, which due to current government social distancing guidelines will help volunteers to respond to contacts from children and young people who need help.

Childline has been inundated with contacts from worried children and young people, and in the month since lockdown there have also been a total of 5,237 contacts to the NSPCC helpline across the UK from adults concerned about the wellbeing and safety of a child.

Jess Finnegan, Community Fundraising Manager for NSPCC Cymru said: “Now more than ever children and young people in Wales need a listening ear and our Childline counsellors are still here to do just that.

“We rely on public donations for 90% of our income, which help fund our services including Childline, and so we are very grateful for the support of North Wales Freemasons.”

Chairman of the North Wales Freemasons charity, Phil James added: “When we learned that the NSPCC needed to confirm a minimum of three volunteer counsellors per shift in order for the North Wales service centre to continue to be able to support children and young people, we knew immediately our support would make a positive difference.”

The donation was coordinated through a new Covid-19 Response Group, which was formed by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) as an emergency structure in response to Covid-19. Its purpose is to work together to deliver life-changing initiatives to those in need.

The NSPCC’s Childline website offers message boards where children can support each other. Alternatively, young people can share their worries with trained Childline counsellors by calling 0800 1111 or visiting the site.