Banners Gate Counselling Centre
Charity 1105473
Overview
Summary
Banners Gate Counselling Centre appears to be a locally rooted, access-oriented counselling provider whose role extends beyond direct support for adults. Its model combines affordable counselling with supervised placements for trainee counsellors and administrative volunteering, suggesting that it both responds to local distress and helps sustain local counselling capacity. Its charitable objects frame counselling as both immediate support and a preventative response to hardship, family pressures and wider social exclusion.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Sutton Vesey
Confidence: medium
Direct evidence shows that the charity currently delivers in-person counselling from a dedicated suite in Boldmere. The available evidence does not directly establish the ward for this service site, so the ward assignment remains uncertain.
- Banners Gate Counselling Centre official website — Contact page
The centre states that it is located in Boldmere and gives current office opening hours and appointment arrangements. - Banners Gate Counselling Centre official website — homepage
The organisation describes itself as providing affordable counselling for adults in the local community and refers to its first-floor office and reception arrangements, supporting that this is an active delivery site rather than only a correspondence address. - Birmingham City Council planning record 2022/09111/PA
The Council planning record concerns a nearby property, but does not directly establish the ward for the centre's delivery site.
Remaining uncertainties
- The available evidence identifies one current in-person service site but does not define the geographic catchment of people using the service; 'local community' is not a formal boundary.
- The organisation can arrange remote counselling by video or telephone outside office hours, but the evidence does not establish where remote clients are located and this should not be treated as operational presence in additional areas.
- The charity mentions placement opportunities for counsellors studying at local universities, but names no current university partners or delivery locations; there is insufficient evidence that these arrangements materially extend its operational footprint.
- No evidence was found of additional service sites, neighbourhood hubs, or citywide commissioned delivery.
Additional evidence needed
- A current annual report or service-monitoring data showing client residence or referral geography, if the organisation wishes its service catchment to be assessed.
- Confirmation from the organisation of any additional delivery venues, commissioned services, or named active partner locations.
- Direct confirmation of the service site's ward.
Areas of work
- The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
Who they help
- The General Public/mankind
How they help
- Provides Services
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A service provider that also builds counselling capacity
The centre appears to operate as both a counselling service and a practical training environment. By offering placements with professional support, it may help create a local pathway into the counselling workforce rather than relying solely on already-qualified practitioners.
Why it matters
This suggests its contribution may be larger than the number of people it directly counsels: it may also strengthen the future availability and quality of counselling support in its area.
Show evidence
“To provide the opportunity for trainee counsellors to have a placement whilst studying for their Diploma or Foundation Degree, giving them all the professional support they require.”
Source:Organisation“To promote and provide education and training for those involved in counselling.”
Source:Charity Commission
Affordability is part of its intended role
The emphasis on an affordable and accessible service suggests the organisation may be designed to reach people for whom private counselling is difficult to obtain, although the evidence does not show its fees or referral routes.
Why it matters
This positions the centre as a possible bridge between unmet emotional need and formal mental-health support, particularly where cost or accessibility creates barriers.
Show evidence
“To provide an affordable & accessible counselling service to adults in the local community.”
Source:Organisation“To promote safeguard and protect the mental and physical health and well being of people of all ages through the provision of confidential counselling services.”
Source:Charity Commission
Counselling is framed as prevention, not only crisis response
Its objects connect counselling with bereavement, relationship difficulty, retirement, redundancy, stress, poverty, hardship and distress. This may indicate a broad preventative understanding of counselling as support through life transitions and pressures before problems deepen.
Why it matters
This helps distinguish the organisation from a narrowly clinical service: its stated purpose links emotional support with social and economic circumstances that can destabilise people and families.
Show evidence
“To promote education and research into all issues relating to coping with personal and family responsibilities with a view to preventing poverty hardship and distress.”
Source:Charity Commission“Confidential counselling services to persons having difficulties in their personal lives whether through bereavement, marital difficulties, retirement, redundancies, stress or any other situation which give rise to anxiety and distress.”
Source:Charity Commission
- Whether the service currently supports only adults despite objects referring to people of all ages.
- Its scale, waiting times, fees, funding model and referral relationships are unknown.
- There is no evidence of the communities reached or outcomes achieved.
Remaining uncertainties
- Recent service data on clients, presenting needs, fees, waiting times and outcomes.
- Information on funding, partner organisations, referral sources and trainee placement arrangements.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
To provide an affordable & accessible counselling service to adults in the local community.(17 yrs of age & over). To provide the opportunity for trainee counsellors to have a placement whilst studying for their Diploma or Foundation Degree, giving them all the professional support they require. To encourage and support volunteers from the local community to help in administration support.
Charity objects
3.1 TO PROMOTE SAFEGUARD AND PROTECT THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF PEOPLE OF ALL AGES THROUGH THE PROVISION OF CONFIDENTIAL COUNSELLING SERVICES TO PERSONS HAVING DIFFICULTIES IN THEIR PERSONAL LIVES WHETHER THROUGH BEREAVEMENT, MARITAL DIFFICULTIES, RETIREMENT, REDUNDANCIES, STRESS OR ANY OTHER SITUATION WHICH GIVE RISE TO ANXIETY AND DISTRESS. 3.2 TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN COUNSELLING CENTRES AND TO PROMOTE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH INTO ALL ISSUES RELATING TO COPING WITH PERSONAL AND FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES WITH A VIEW TO PREVENTING POVERTY HARDSHIP AND DISTRESS. 3.3 TO PROMOTE AND PROVIDE EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR THOSE INVOLVED IN COUNSELLING AND TO ADVANCE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE PART THAT COUNSELLING CAN PLAY TO INCREASE THE PROVISIONS OF COUNSELLING SUPPORT TO THE BEREAVED AND TO THOSE WHO ARE MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY AND SOCIALLY DISABLED.