BTPP started off as a cottage industry, funded by coffee mornings, jumble sales and senior staff members working for nothing for a few hours each day to build up resources so that people who had done the Observation course and could not afford the time or money to go to London to train could manage a training. Initially, we managed to find money to cover fees and analysis and seminars were held in scrounged rooms in seminar leaders' houses.

Now we are a fully-fledged institution with ongoing NHS funding and a fairly healthy hardship fund built up by donated time from a small group of senior people. We try to operate as a commonwealth, with people taking from the kitty just what they need so that any unexpected expense, eg the roof blowing off or the car giving up the ghost, can be covered from our resources. We also bursary anyone earning under £15,000 a year who is interested and capable of doing the Observation course and many who are earning more than this but cannot afford the full pre-clinical fees. In this way, we hope to guarantee opportunities for second chance learners and equal access for anyone who has both the ability and the inclination to work psychodynamically with children or train as a Child Psychotherapist.

If you become one of us, we hope you will honour this tradition, take freely what you need and give back of your time and effort to ensure the same privilege for the next generation.