Join MIND Mid and North East Essex for an important and welcoming morning focused on men’s mental health at the upcoming Men’s Wellbeing Event, taking place on Tuesday 10th June 2025 at Colchester Rugby Club (Raven Bar), CO4 5YX.
🕗 Event Details:
Date: Tuesday 10th June 2025
Time: 08:00am – 10:30am
Location: Colchester Rugby Club (Raven Bar), CO4 5YX
Tickets: £5 per person
Includes: A breakfast bap and hot drink
Let’s Talk About Men’s Mental Health
This event provides a space for men to come together, share experiences, and start conversations around mental health in a supportive environment. Whether you’re looking to open up, listen, or simply connect with others, this is a valuable opportunity to prioritise wellbeing.
🎟 Book Your Place
Tickets are just £5 and include breakfast. Spaces are limited, so book early to secure your spot.
Healthwatch Essex are delighted to announce that the Expressions of Trauma exhibition, hosted by our Trauma Ambassador Group, will be running at The Harwich Arts & Heritage Centre from 20th – 29th June 2025.
This instalment of the exhibition coincides with the Harwich Festival of the Arts – 10 days of live music, theatre, art, comedy, workshops, dance and more. Find out more about the festival here.
A mixed media collection of works, Expressions of Trauma features artwork illustrating personal experiences of trauma by giving an insight into how people use creative outlets to express themselves during difficult times. People from across Essex with lived experience of trauma have come together to collaborate on this exhibition, which aims to raise awareness and understanding of trauma and its significant effects.
Allie Watson, from the Healthwatch Essex Trauma Ambassador Group, explains how important she finds using creative outlets:
‘Art has been lifesaving on many occasions in helping me cope with my trauma. Art helps me to express things that I find very difficult to put into words. It is a fundamental part of my life now to keep myself well and is something I turn to in crisis.’
Please be aware that this exhibition includes art covering sensitive themes including bereavement, abuse, chronic pain and forced adoption, among others. It may be triggering for some individuals. We advise that it may not be suitable for those under the age of 18, and that those below that age who do visit be accompanied by an adult.
The exhibition is open between 10am and 4pm 20th-29th June 2025 at Harwich Arts & Heritage Centre, Main Road, Harwich, CO12 4AJ. It is closed on Sundays.
Sharon Westfield de Cortez Information & Guidance Manager Healthwatch Essex
Author: Emily Smith
Posted:
Categories: Events, News
Our friends at Mid and North East Essex Mind are recruiting!
They’re looking for a passionate and experienced Service Manager to help lead their North East Essex Sanctuary — a vital out-of-hours mental health support service.
In this role, you’ll:
✔️ Support and manage a dedicated frontline team ✔️ Oversee daily service operations ✔️ Work closely with local partners to ensure people in crisis get the right support
If you’ve managed mental health or crisis services and care about making a real difference, this could be the role for you.
Creative You, Creative Client – A Renew Workshop for Counsellors
We’re excited to announce a new workshop designed to help counsellors explore the power of creativity in their practice. Creative You, Creative Client is a one-day introduction to how creativity can enhance therapeutic practice.
This workshop will give you a deeper understanding of your own creative potential and offer practical tools for encouraging creativity in clients. We’ll explore why creativity is essential in therapy, address common barriers to creative expression, and share simple techniques you can start using with clients right away.
Who is this for? Counsellors and trainee counsellors from all modalities interested in developing their own and their clients’ creativity When? 10am – 4pm, Saturday 7th June 2025 Where? Renew Counselling and Training, Sadlers House, 2 Legg Street, Chelmsford CM1 1AH Price: £125.00 (please note a £50 deposit is required to secure your place) Enquiries:michelleallen@renew.org.uk | 01245 264348
Empower yourself with the essential skills to support and advocate for vulnerable clients in our comprehensive 4 hour course on Supporting Vulnerable Clients. This course is designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and techniques needed to navigate complex situations containing , vulnerability, trauma, communication styles, and more.
Moving beyond theory, this course offers participants hands-on skills practice and immersive activities to deepen their understanding of trauma and trauma responses. Join us in this engaging virtual session to elevate your ability to make a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable clients.
Professionals learn to deliver disappointing news with sensitivity, navigating emotional responses such as anger, upset, and blame. Techniques for gracefully concluding conversations are explored, ensuring that participants leave with the skills to handle even the most challenging client interactions.
Whilst this course is designed for Immigration Advisors, Solicitors and those working with clients in a range of capacities, this is an open course to individuals with experiences in alternative fields and available to those with an interest in attending.
The Compassionate Colchester Network is thrilled to confirm that our next Meetup is being hosted by RAMA at RAMA House, 31 Elm Lane, Colchester on Friday 6th June, and we hope that you can join us?
🫶 Compassionate Community Meetups are an opportunityto be part of a special group of people, places and projects who are helping build networks of support for others experiencing life’s biggest challenges.
🌞 We will start with a cuppa at 10am and intro’s from RAMA and The Cinnamon Trust, who will share how they are supporting local communities and collaborating with community ambassadors.
👟 A group wellbeing walk will start at 11am for those who wish to participate.
❤️ These really are fantastic events that bring communities together, and we encourage you to invite others who can bring kindness and compassion to Colchester.
Chelmsford Star Co-op is calling on volunteers to participate in the Big Co-op Clean Up at Central Park, Chelmsford.This community-driven event aims to bring together residents, families, and local groups to help keep our cherished green spaces clean and vibrant.
Date & Time: Friday 27th June 2025: 2pm – 3.30pm
Location: Central Park, Chelmsford
Meeting Point: Meet at the gazebo at Bell Meadow CM2 0PD
Please wear sturdy footwear.
Volunteers will be provided with all necessary equipment, including litter pickers, gloves, high-visibility vests, and bin bags. Please bring your own if you can.
Why volunteer?
Make a Visible Impact: Your efforts will contribute to a cleaner, more inviting park for everyone to enjoy.
Community Engagement: Meet like-minded individuals who are passionate about making a difference in Chelmsford.
🎉 Carers Week: 9–15 June 🎉 To mark Carers Week, Essex County Council and partners are hosting daily bite-size webinarsto help professionals identify carers early and signpost them to the right support.
📍 Open to all front-line professionals and services across Essex 🖥️ Hosted on Microsoft Teams
🔍 Each session covers a key area:
9 June – Support for young carers
10 June – Support for adult carers
11 June – Supporting carers of people with dementia
12 June – Advocacy supportfor carers
13 June – Employer supportfor working carers
Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and improve outcomes for carers in your community.
Chelmsford City Racecouse are delighted to be supporting for the fourth consecutive year, the Eden Project Communities “Month of Community” in June. As part of this initiative, they are holding an Unpaid Carers Raceday on Thursday 12th June at Chelmsford City Racecourse.
On 21 March, all 15 councils across Greater Essex, together with the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC), submitted an interim proposal for Local Government Reorganisation to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
The proposal represents a collaborative effort across Greater Essex to explore the potential for creating new unitary council structures. These changes aim to improve the efficiency, accountability, and delivery of public services across the region.
Working together with colleagues across the county, ECC are carefully considering the response and will incorporate this input as they refine their plans. Detailed proposals will be submitted to the MHCLG by the end of September.
We remain committed to keeping residents and stakeholders informed throughout this process. For ongoing updates on Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution in Greater Essex, please visit this page.
This instalment of the exhibition coincides with the Harwich Festival of the Arts – 10 days of live music, theatre, art, comedy, workshops, dance and more. Find out more about the festival 
