A new Bright Space opens in Hampshire

This latest Bright Space that the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children has opened is the 18^th that has now been installed in a police authority ABE suite. It’s actually the third Bright Space that Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary have incorporated after two Bright Spaces were unveiled in 2020.

Delivering this particular Bright Space has been made possible through fundraising initiatives by colleagues from Bright Horizons in support of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children.

DC Jenni Dalziel, Specialist Investigations (CAIT), said: “The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children helped to transform our Victim & Witness Interview suites at our Training Headquarters at Netley. Those Bright Spaces have made such a difference to supporting children and vulnerable adults when they need it most. We were delighted to embark on this latest project with the Foundation to create a further Bright Space. Being able to offer a safe environment ensures they are not overwhelmed whilst giving evidence and means they get a fairer opportunity of achieving justice.”

The Foundation and its volunteers have transformed four rooms at Havant VRI suite to create homely and welcoming environments. The rooms now feature soft furnishings, along with an extensive range of high-quality resources such as art and craft supplies, games, relaxation toys and books. Bright Spaces are supported and sustained by Bright Horizons employees, led by an employee volunteer referred to as a Bright Space Connector. Connectors are volunteers who take the lead managing the relationship with the authority where the Bright Space is located. On this occasion the following Bright Horizons colleagues have been instrumental in setting up this new project with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary and will help to support the Bright Space moving forward:

• Clare, nursery manager, and Alice, deputy manager, from Bright Horizons Fair Oak Nursery and Preschool
• Sarah, nursery manager, from Southampton Nursery and Preschool with the support of Sherralyn, regional director at Bright Horizons.
• Emma from the Bright Horizons marketing team.

Tracy Wilkes-Green, the Foundation’s Bright Space Manager says, “We are delighted to have opened this new Bright Spaces for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary. Children who are having to spend time in an Achieving Best Evidence suite will be going through trauma. We hope this new Bright Space will help to be a safe environment where their healing can begin.”

For more information about the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children and the work that it does then please visit here.