Growing Resilience in Teens (GRIT) Impact Report 2025

Growing Resilience in Teens (GRIT) is a Hertfordshire charity founded in 2018, supporting young people aged 11–24 through a unique combination of non-contact boxing and health and wellbeing coaching, using its evidence-informed Four Corners Method. In 2024/25 it supported 585 young people, with 85% improving emotional regulation and 68% achieving a clinically meaningful improvement on the validated DERS-16 scale (effect size 0.93). The charity won the General Practice Awards 2024 for Clinical Improvement in Mental Health and the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire's Sport for Good Award 2025. It operates in partnership with NHS Primary Care Networks and has supported approximately 1,500 young people since inception, with average service capacity growth of 83% over the past three years.

Report snapshot
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📋About

12-week GRIT Programme combining non-contact boxing with health and wellbeing coaching (50 young people; 89% completion rate); 1:1 coaching (463 participants; 80% completion rate); Continuation Programme weekly drop-in (65 young people); small group programmes: The Rumble and GRIT Art Group (72 participants); Peer Mentoring Programme at Fearnhill and Highfield schools (20 mentors training 27 mentees); holiday workshops; Four Corners Method framework based on Social and Emotional Learning, Window of Tolerance and Self-Determination Theory; GP and school referral pathways (PCN partnerships with Hitchin & Whitwell and Icknield PCNs) Custom geography from upload: Hitchin, Letchworth and surrounding areas, Hertfordshire, UK

📊Key Metrics

585 young people supported across 1:1 coaching and group programmes; 513 new referrals received; 170 young people attended holiday workshops Key Metric 1
85% of young people improved their ability to manage emotions (DERS-16 validated scale); 68% achieved a clinically meaningful improvement (≥10% reduction); effect size Cohen's d = 0.93 (large effect) Key Metric 2
£197,376 total income; General Practice Awards 2024: Clinical Improvement in Mental Health winner; High Sheriff of Hertfordshire Sport for Good Award 2025; service capacity growth average 83% over three years Key Metric 3

Key Outcomes

  • 72% of young people disclosing self-harm reported a reduction in incidents; 72% of those with poor school attendance improved (average 6 additional school days over 5 months); 79% of those with body image concerns reported measurable improvement
  • Proportion in severe emotional dysregulation range fell from 16% to 5%; those in minor range increased from 37% to 69% — demonstrating movement from distress to stability; 51% of young people with low confidence in school or work reported measurable improvement
  • 20 students and 16 teachers from two Letchworth schools trained in Four Corners Method; Peer Mentoring Programme Highly Commended at Sported Awards; Dr Tara Belcher, Clinical Director Hitchin & Whitwell PCN: 'GRIT is an innovative and excellent service'

📍Geography

Other

2025 Enhanced

Annual Review April 2024 to March 2025

Social care services provided to thousands of people with learning disabilities; information and advice service caseloads growing in complexity; financial resilience rebuilt ahead of NI cost pressures
Key Metric 1
Omaze Yorkshire House Draw partnership raised £3.9m in 6 weeks with Jodie Whittaker as ambassador; awareness of people with learning disability significantly boosted through campaign
Key Metric 2
Voices Council (led by people with learning disabilities) challenged decisions on service handbacks, agency staffing and benefits access; new strategy to 2030 under development; new CEO Jon Sparkes OBE joined June 2024
Key Metric 3
Rebuilt financial resilience ahead of NI cost increases — 'more fortunate than many in the sector'; 80th anniversary approaching; new CEO appointed to lead strategy development
2024 Enhanced

Annual Report and Accounts 2024

518 new guide dog partnerships created in 2024 — 10% increase beating projections; 1,379 new puppies from breeding programme; 400th buddy dog partnership matched
Key Metric 1
17,500+ volunteers giving 12 million+ volunteer hours collectively; 2,400+ volunteers looked after dogs; 7,000+ training sessions on tech, travel and life skills delivered by Vision Rehabilitation Specialists
Key Metric 2
£47m raised through Sponsor a Puppy; £3.1m from raffles; £8.3m increased income from gifts in Wills; 3.45 million clicks to digital information and advice content; 5,900 visits to new Tech Selector assistive tech review tool
Key Metric 3
1,864 children and family members attended My Time to Play sessions; 6,852 large-print books delivered; 5,991 habilitation sessions completed to help children learn essential skills; 432,817 online learners accessing digital content
2025 Enhanced

Annual Report 2024-25

202,694 people supported across 270 locations; 74,070 in drug and alcohol; 102,531 in mental health; 1,035 in learning disability; turnover £191.9m
Key Metric 1
96% of regulated services rated Good or Outstanding by CQC; 12,456 naloxone kits dispensed (5.6% increase); 11,405 Hepatitis C tests (59% increase); 7,448 FibroScans (300% increase)
Key Metric 2
234 peer mentors; 82 volunteers; 5,194 colleagues (60% with lived experience); £7.79m invested in local VCSE organisations; £131.87m social value from local employment
Key Metric 3
87% of people supported have overall positive experience; 90% feel safe; 774/1,063 (72%) in Birmingham social prescribing service achieved goals across health, community, emotional and employment domains; new Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership reached over 160 staff in year one