IMMEDIATE RELEASE 20th January 2003

British tax pounds build happy marriages.

A grass roots movement of community based marriage skills training groups are springing up throughout the UK, leading to lower, levels of divorce, domestic violence, truancy, juvenile crime, underachievement at school, and clinical depression, and higher rates of marriage, happier and better educated children and less crime. 

Community Family Trusts which bring together Churches, Registrars, Local Government and Educators, are being pioneered by Chris Grimshaw, a vet from Totnes, Devon. His view is that a whole community needs to be involved in teaching marriage relationship skills to married and cohabiting couples enabling them to make better interpersonal relationships and forge long lasting happy marriages.

The Lord Chancellors Department is providing government funding for six local Trusts for the year 2002/03. The community groups are in Totnes, Somerset, York, and Bristol, Guildford and Poole. As of March 2002, there are now 17 such groups establishing themselves around the country.  Funds from the LCD make the community groups the fifth largest recipient of Government funding for marriage and relationship support.

Researchers and Opinion Formers are increasingly suggesting that preventative interventions such as good marriage preparation training, of which some programmes are scientifically proven to reduce divorce rates over 5 years by up to 80%, are the best way to secure the long-term quality of the marital relationship. 

The groups are made up of fairly ordinary but concerned citizens motivated by the desire to do something practical to reverse the tide of family breakdown and its social correlates.  Ex navy pilot and Falklands veteran Harry Benson, who set up the Bristol Community Family Trust said, “These projects are the first serious attempt to turn the tide of family breakdown.  Britain has become the divorce capital of Europe, which is leading to huge social costs for adults, children and society”.

“Community Family Trusts in partnership with the local Registrars and Clergy are accessing couples as they register with the Registrar or Vicar, they then encourage them to participate in marriage skills training, part of which is scientifically proven to increase the quality of the relationship and reduce the risks of the relationship dissolving.  Couples want to be happy, we just show them how to stay happy,” said Grimshaw.

Richard Kane, Director of National Marriage Week said, “there are over 300 registration districts in England and Wales, we would like to see really effective marriage preparation training happening for all couples in each and every district”.

ENDS:

For further information and interviews please contact admin@futureway.org.uk

Notes:             National Marriage Week 9-16th February 2003. Press launch 6th February. London.

Chris Grimshaw will be describing how it all works, along with Registrar Val Gilfillan and other leading academics and researchers at the National Marriage Week International Conference, Thursday 6th February. 01202 883887 for more information.

The Lord Chancellor’s Department has invested £180,000 into the CFPs to finance Project Co-ordinators and funding has been confirmed for next year providing progress reports are satisfactory.
The programmes used which are scientifically proven are

FOCCUS. Contact Nick Gulliford on 01823 432420 www.focusinc.com

PREP, Contact John Deagle on 07803 903 490 www.prepinc.com

Chris Grimshaw. National Co-ordinator for Community Family Trusts 01803 732278. 
Bristol - contact Harry Benson 01179 244601
York "York Family Matters" - contact Robin Watson 01904 639767
Taunton "Bridgewater & Taunton CFP" - contact Angie Gammon 01458 259341
Yeovil "Yeovil CFP" - contact Nick Axten 01935 426129
Totnes "TCFT" - contact Susannah Hunter 01803 868519
Bristol - contact Harry Benson 01179 244601
Guildford - contact Chris Hildyard 01483 531543
Poole - contact Wendy Faux 01202 694125
Exeter - contact Andrew Mowll 01392 258681
Plymouth - contact Alice Thornton 01548 810441
Rayleigh - contact Don Cooper 01268 306415
 
The following towns are in the process of establishing CFPs:
Torbay - contact Rhona Webb 01803 552621
Romiley - contact Tim Barlow 0161 4304652
Bedford - contact David Gibson 01234 306415
Southampton - contact John Deagle 023 80780301
Winchester - contact Hugh Cryer 01962 863217
Lymington - contact Suzanne Weaver 01590 673847
Reading & Woodley - contact Jeremy Sharpe 01189 699956
Mid Devon - contact Vivien Southall 01884 266607