We’re delighted to announce our latest investment in Ultimate Counselling CIC, a brilliant local business providing mental health and outreach services for refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants across East London.
Ultimate Counselling offers therapy and access to education, jobs, and training. By tackling mental health challenges and supporting integration, they help individuals to thrive which strengthens our entire community.
The investment will help Managing Director Sarah Kasule, take her business to the next level. Sarah plans to hire a Service Development Officer to explore new opportunities and income streams.
Sarah has also launched a paid-for counselling service to ensure the longer-term sustainability of her business. The new service, called Mind Bridge, is founded on the belief that mental health support should be accessible to everyone. That’s why proceeds from Mind Bridge will help fund counselling and psychotherapy for people who couldn’t access it otherwise.
Mind Bridge is professional, easily accessible counselling. All therapists are certified by UK based counselling and psychotherapy accreditation bodies. Visit the website: https://mindbridge.org.uk/
Residents Made It Happen
This investment comes from the GROW Fund, which was set up in 2023 using fees paid to LBBD Council from developers of local building projects.
The Council transferred some of that money to BD Giving and we recruited a group of local people to decide how to use the £1.5 million. They chose to focus on supporting local businesses, but they struggled to find investable opportunities within the borough. So, we created GROW Fund – a package of grant funding, business development support and a chance to apply for social investment – to help local entrepreneurs develop their businesses and become ‘investment ready’.
Ultimate Counselling took part last year and is the second GROW Fund participant to receive social investment. You can find out more about the first year of the GROW Fund in our podcast series 9 Miles East.
If you’re curious about seeking investment for your local venture, learn about GROW 2025 here.
Why Ultimate Counselling is A Great Investment for the Borough
Barking & Dagenham is home to a diverse and growing population, with approximately 35% of its residents born outside the UK. In recent years we’ve seen a notable increase in people moving to the borough from Eastern Europe, Africa, and South Asia.
Migrants often face challenges as they settle into life in a new country. Ultimate Counselling’s work helps people rebuild their lives. In the last 10 years, Ultimate Counselling has supported over 10,000 people towards a positive frame of mind and a sense of belonging.
This investment will allow Sarah and her team of staff and volunteers to reach even more residents with their life-changing services.
“The investment will strengthen our sustainability, deepen our impact and enable us to reach more destitute and vulnerable immigrants in our community. We are sincerely grateful.”
What's Next?
We’re committed to making the borough a hub for social investment so we can keep supporting ambitious, talent like Sarah and our other investment recipient Carole Pluckrose from The Boathouse Studios.
If you’re an ambitious entrepreneur with big dreams for your venture, find out more about GROW 2025.
If you’re a social investor, looking to invest in a chronically underfunded borough that is bursting with potential, contact Kate Harmatz.
Over the next three years, we aim to bring in an additional £5 million so that more Barking & Dagenham based business can access social investment and tackle the issues that matter most to our community.
