The founder and CEO of national Christian charity Transforming Lives for Good (TLG), Tim Morfin, has been awarded OBE in the King's Birthday Honours List.
It's in recognition of his services to disadvantaged children and young people.
Tim founded the charity 24 years ago and since then it has helped thousands of young people every year. It helps tackle key issues that children are facing including poverty, food insecurity, exclusion and trauma. It began when Tim started a youth club with volunteers from his church in inner-city Bradford. After stepping in to help Lewis – a young boy living in an abusive home - a ground-breaking partnership between a local school and church-based volunteers began.
Tim told Premier: “It is very much about seeing the opportunity to intervene early for children who are facing some big challenges in life, many of them really courageously walking through difficult circumstances. Our work began with a 15 year old, but actually I know that if I'd met Lewis sooner it would have been possible to make an even bigger difference in his life. Through our early intervention coaching we get to match church volunteers [and] you're able to spend an hour a week with a child in school and to do that for a whole year. That's been really transformational as those children are helped, but their families are connected to the love and the care of the local church.”
Tim has led the TLG team since the charity began, to create and grow life-changing programmes that have a tangible impact on thousands of children's lives all across the UK, and now also in Portugal.
In 2022 TLG helped 4,815 children and today there are 128 Early Intervention Centres with trained coaches, each giving an hour a week to one child to support their emotional well-being. 25,000 coaching sessions take place each year. TLG also trains and equips 82 Make Lunch Clubs that provide vital food and genuine community for families facing food insecurity and social isolation.
Tim and his team have also used their expertise to train community-based volunteers in trauma-informed responses to support children with their emotional well-being.
On being awarded an OBE he said: “I am delighted to receive this honour. I accept it very much in recognition of the difference we as a team of staff and volunteers are making together, and on behalf of the courageous children, young people and families whose lives are being transformed.
“I have so much heartfelt appreciation for our staff, volunteers and thousands of supporters. The number of children with complex needs has increased at an unprecedented rate, and as an organisation we are urgently working towards the next phase of our support in the midst of the mental health crisis. My vision is just as strong today as it was 24 years ago – to bring hope and a future to struggling children!”