Right now, 15-year-olds in the UK report the lowest life satisfaction in Europe. Tens of thousands of people are experiencing loneliness, and millions in the UK have no faith in God. That’s a heart-breaking reality. But together, we can change it. At the Ugly Duckling Charity, we believe every person deserves an opportunity to discover a life filled with faith, hope, peace, joy, and love — a life in all its fullness.

We are now officially The Ugly Duckling Charity (having swapped out the word ‘company’ for ‘charity’). We have always been a charity, but want to emphasis this going forward as we seek to grow our work, expand the range of resources and support we offer and reach more people than ever before.

It has been said that childhood should be the happiest time in a person’s life. Yet for thousands of children, the reality can be very different. Here in the UK, children and young people continue to be some of the unhappiest in the world. At UDC we want to play our small part in helping children find life in all it’s fullness, so are thrilled to launch 10:10 for Children. This is a brand new resource for 5–11s that will help them discover some of the foundations of how to live life well. 

We are really thrilled to announce that we have a partnered with the charity Urban Saints’ to host our 10:10 Youth resource on their Energize platform until the end of 2024. You can still get 10:10 direct from us, but if you do subscribe to ‘Energize’ you will be able to access all the 10:10 youth material plus some exclusive additional content added by Urban Saints.

At UDC we are always keen to welcome people who want to support us in our mission to ‘help people find life in all its fullness’. 

Whether you fancy coming to work in our office or warehouse in Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, or have time to give from your own home, we would love to hear from you!

It is often said that there are two subjects you should never talk about around the dinner table — politics and religion. However, with election fever now well underway, we thought we would break that rule and create a free downloadable Table Talk pack for you to have some discussions around the election!

We're thrilled to share with you some exciting developments that we are currently working on, and we invite you to be a part of our journey as we strive to equip more people to have life-changing conversations and discover life in all it’s fullness. As part of our ongoing efforts to expand our impact, we are in the midst of a five-year program aimed at increasing the range, reach, and effectiveness of our resources.

A few weeks ago Nathan, our Interim CEO, was invited to speak with Tina Waldrom the Director of Evangelism In Australia. Together they spoke about the significance of initiating conversations in diverse settings, whilst attentively listening to people’s stories and ways we can share ours. This podcast explores the work of UDC and the transformative power of conversations in mission.

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Table Talk for Students (in print) — a brilliant resource to equip young adults and those around them to have life changing conversations together. It is estimated there are approximately 2.86 million University students in the UK. This time of life can be filled with new opportunities and enjoyment but it can also be a challenging time.

Following the departure of our CEO, Sharon Lanfear, we are pleased to introduce you to Nathan Jones (known as Nate) our Interim CEO.

Nate has been involved with UDC since 2017, is the author of 10:10, our youth well-being resource. He has also been involved in the development and co-writing of Table Talk packs including: Wellbeing, Change, Children, Families, and Early Years. He is currently working on the development of three new resources, as well overseeing the work of UDC. 

This week we say farewell to our CEO, Sharon Lanfear. Over the years, Sharon has been involved in the development of several Table Talks, taking a lead in Table Talk for Women, Wellbeing, Change, Children and Families. She co-authored The Happiness Lab and participated in the filming of the resource as one of the delegates. She also co-authored Resolve. 

Talking is important for everyone, but it's particularly crucial to the mental and emotional health and development of children and young people.

When we support children to talk it can strengthen our relationships with them and give them space to express how they are thinking and feeling. We are therefore excited to launch three brand new resources to encourage children and adults to get talking together, that you can use as a parent, grandparent, a children's worker, teacher etc.

Poor mental health is increasing in children and young people in the UK with ‘1 in 6’ now likely to be struggling with their mental health. To help equip churches in the vital role they play in supporting children in their communities, we are developing ‘10:10 For Children’ an innovative new well-being resource based on our 10:10 youth version.

Our new 10:10 wellbeing resource is helping young people to live their best life.

From a marquee set up by a church to connect with young people in its community, to schools, colleges, churches, youth centres as well as an adolescent mental health ward, 10:10 is helping young people across the UK to discover the difference that living well can have on their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing.

UDC exists to help people find life in all its fullness through the power of conversation, and right now the conversation about well-being is as important as ever. Whilst we cannot replace the specialist support provided by GPs, the NHS or counsellors, we can start a conversation around well-being with people in our churches and communities.

With support from Allchurches Trust, The Ugly Duckling Company has launched 10:10, an innovative new resource designed to help young people discover the difference that living well can have on their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing

Rather than rush into the ‘new normal’ and firmly shut the door on what has gone before, it’s essential to take time to reflect on what we’ve been through, acknowledge how we’re feeling and look to what’s ahead. Table Talk for Change might be a useful tool to help with this.