A Scarborough mental health charity has secured double national recognition for its community work just weeks before opening a much-needed third centre in the town.
Crucial mental health and wellbeing support across Scarborough will expand this month as a local community group prepares to open a new town centre facility, fresh from securing double national recognition.
Families and individuals facing mental health challenges will soon have access to two additional counselling rooms to help meet a continuing growth in demand. The new Northway centre will officially open its doors on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, providing a vital lifeline to residents.
Mrs Johanna Ropner, His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, will formally open the building at 1pm. The site will become the third operational base for the charity Sparks, joining its existing community premises in Barrowcliff and Eastfield.
The expansion comes just a fortnight after the organisation celebrated major success at the National Charity Today Awards 2026.
Vital crisis intervention, counselling, and early intervention services were recognised at a ceremony in Peterborough on Wednesday, October 14, where Sparks proudly won the Mental Health Impact Award.
The charity was also named Highly Commended for Partnership of the Year, acknowledging its highly successful collaborative work with the SCORE Primary Care Network.
Working closely together, the partnership has delivered three weekly Baby SPARKS groups in Barrowcliff, Eastfield, and Scarborough town centre. This is in addition to running a series of pop-up Community Health and Wellbeing Hubs.
These dedicated baby groups provide essential support and valuable opportunities for parents, carers, and young children to connect with one another. During the past year alone, the groups welcomed 4,580 adults, babies, and toddlers across 144 interactive sessions.
Meanwhile, the community hubs have successfully brought health advice and preventative services directly into local neighbourhoods. These hubs delivered a further 112 sessions across 37 different locations, supporting more than 800 residents who might otherwise find it difficult to access care.
The sheer scale of the charity's direct impact is evident in its yearly figures. Over the last twelve months, Sparks has delivered 2,021 dedicated counselling sessions, 1,249 crucial crisis interventions, and 604 one-to-one coaching sessions to people across the Scarborough area.
Chief Executive Officer of Sparks, Michelle Davison-Ward, said:
"Winning a national award for our mental health work is a tremendous achievement for everyone involved with Sparks. We know how important it is for people to receive the right support at the right time, and our partnership with SCORE PCN has enabled us to reach families and individuals who might otherwise struggle to access services. These awards are recognition of the hard work and commitment of our team, volunteers and partners, and we're absolutely delighted."
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