If you’re a parent or carer with a child aged 6-11 who loves LEGO®, why not sign up for our free new LEGO® in libraries project? Your child will get the chance to improve their maths and English skills, while having fun playing with relatable LEGO® characters!
Using a combination of LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential kits and Lenovo Chromebooks, children will guide characters through compelling stories and use problem-solving, literacy and coding skills to complete each unit.
Book on to a session and come along to build, tinker and experiment!
Sign up to LEGO® in libraries!
You’ll find LEGO® in libraries in eight libraries across Essex, with launch sessions taking place from 30th May! These sessions are completely free to attend, but must be booked by visiting the links below.
Did you know your local library is a learning hub for the whole family? While your child is taking part in a LEGO® in libraries session, you could sign up for your own course to increase your confidence in maths and everyday numeracy! Find out more about the courses available through Multiply in Essex.
As part of Learning at Work Week, you are invited to join the FREE Nightingale webinars.
These informative session will explore what the Nightingale Care Bursary is, and how you can gain a national recognised qualification in Health and Social Care to start or progress your career.
You’ll also have the opportunity to ask our team any questions you may have!
• Interested in gaining a qualifications? Join the learner webinar: 17th May @ 6-7:30pm
• Are you a Health and Care organisation? Join the provider webinar: 19th May @ 11am-12.30pm
Renew Counselling and Training, a leading Essex charity dedicated to improving mental health and wellbeing, has marked Mental Health Awareness Week by announcing their new Empower Your Emotions programme.
Designed to help people from all walks of life develop their emotional literacy, the free programme will enable participants to talk about their feelings in a calm and productive way, while also providing them with tools to listen to and support others. The programme consists of three workshops, one held at each of the three Renew centres in Chelmsford, Brentwood and Basildon, and is open to all members of the community. The sessions will see participants learning how to be open about feelings, providing them with practical advice on how to communicate effectively with everyone from family members and
friends to colleagues and neighbours.
According to recent research, mental health continues to be a growing concern in the UK. Around 1 in 6 adults in the UK are experiencing depression (ONS), while 1 in 14 UK adults (7%) report feeling stressed every single day (CIPHR). But despite the growing demand for mental health services, there is less and less funding available for this important work, highlighting the need for increased support for mental health services.
With this in mind, Renew has developed the Empower Your Emotions programme, inspired by the observations of the charity’s counsellors in the wake of the pandemic and cost of living crisis. Empower Your Emotions is part of Renew Counselling and Training’s ongoing mission to improve mental wellbeing in the communities it serves. This year, the charity carried out 14%
more counselling sessions than it did in the previous year, highlighting the growing demand for mental health support in the local area.
“We believe that talking openly about your emotions should be as natural as commenting on the weather or mentioning that you have a headache,” says Nikki Schuster, Chief Executive at Renew Counselling and Training. “Sadly, not everyone can access counselling due to the rising cost of living and cuts in mental health services. But we know from experience that even just talking about how you’re feeling with a friend or colleague can improve your mental health exponentially. We hope that this programme will help members of our community to develop the skills they need to communicate effectively about their emotions, and to support others who may be struggling.”
The first session of the Empower Your Emotions programme will be held during the summer at Renew’s Chelmsford centre. To register your interest or for more information, please visit www.renew.org.uk, email info@renew.org.uk or call 01245 359353.
The cost of living crisis is affecting the mental health of millions
The uncertainty of watching as our costs spiral can be difficult to bear. The worry of how we’ll get by and support our families is piling on the pressure. But for so many of us, looking after our mental health is often last on our list.
As individuals, as families, as communities – we can’t afford to ignore the impact on our mental health.
Get involved this Mental Health Awareness Week
Whether we’re raising awareness or raising money, we can let each other know support is out there. Help those of us that need it find hope through Mind’s Infoline, website and online community, Side by Side. We can’t fix the cost of living crisis – but we can help each other cope.
If this speaks to you, or someone you know, support Mind this Mental Health Awareness Week.
Mind in West Essex are proud to announce that their Big Give match fund campaign will go live during Mental Health Awareness Week (15th – 22nd May). The local mental health organisation will be asking for donations towards their counselling bursary to raise £10,000 in just 1 week! These funds will be used to provide support to those in financial difficulty, giving them the access to the talking therapy they deserve.
Money worries are one of the top stressors for people in their day to day life, which can lead to anxiety and depression. At Mind in West Essex, they need your help so they are able to continue to support others to access vital counselling services. All donations made to their Big Give campaign will be generously matched by Kind2Mind, meaning your money can support twice as many individuals and families in need of talking therapies.
Mike Ellen, Manager Uttlesford CYP Mental Health Support Team at Mind in West Essex said, “Our counselling bursary project has come at the right time to provide much needed support to individuals and families. Given the current economic situation, finding the money is a struggle or not possible for the very people that would benefit most from counselling.”
Jade Bolton, Fundraising and Marketing Coordinator at Mind in West Essex said, “As a local Mind we heavily rely on the charitable donations we receive from the public and to ensure we are able to continue offering our services. With the cost of living, we have found that some people are unable to access services like talking therapies which would support their mental health during these times of stress and worry. Our counselling bursary has been created to support over 30 individuals with 6 free counselling sessions which will provide them with the tools they need to manage their stress and anxiety.”
The Big Give counselling bursary campaign will be live from midday on Monday 15th May and will run until midday on Monday 22nd May. You can use the link below too donate. All donations will be doubled! https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002PowabAAB
Don’t forget to share your donation on social media and tag Mind in West Essex to receive a thank you shout out. One donation, twice the impact!
We support projects that help make communities fairer for everyone. You can apply if you’re a not-for profit group, wanting to fund a specific project that benefits your local community.
If your funding application is successful, we’ll work with you for 12 months. The more members that shop with Co-op and choose to support your project, the more funding you will receive.
To apply for funding, you need to send your application by 11 June 2023.
Check if you can apply for funding
The information in this section will help you to decide whether to apply for funding. We know that different people use different words for community work. For this application process,
the ‘group’ or ’cause’ means your organisation
the ‘project’ is the activity or specific work that you are applying to fund
You can apply if your project:
brings people together to access food
helps to improve people’s mental wellbeing
creates opportunities for young people to be heard and make a difference
helps people to save and restore nature or tackle climate change
Your project must also:
take place in the UK or Isle of Man
take place or still be running after November 2024
To apply, your group needs to be:
registered or based in the UK
have their own bank account
operating in your local community
not-for-profit
Groups that can apply include:
churches or chapels that are excepted charities (that means they do not need to register with the Charities Commission)
co-operative societies
community benefit societies
Community Interest Companies
credit unions
registered charities in the UK or Isle of Man
social enterprises
Scout, Guide or Woodcraft Folk groups
any other group that can prove that they are not-for-profit
We cannot fund projects that:
support individuals
support people or projects overseas
promote any political activities or religious beliefs – but we can consider projects led by religious groups that are for the benefit of the whole community
use all of the funds to cover staff salaries and running costs
give our funding to other people or groups
are the responsibility of local authorities
could, in our opinion, harm the reputation of Co-op
What you need to apply
You’ll need:
your group’s charity number or registration details
or
your group’s governing documents that show that you’re not-for-profit. For example, your group’s constitution, articles of association or any other official documents
You’ll also need:
your group’s bank details- we cannot pay funding into an account that is not in the name of your group
a bank statement from the last 3 months for your group
a description of your group and project
2 contacts including phone and email details
basic information about what your group does and annual income
a good photo (landscape, not portrait) that will help promote your project to Co-op members
What happens next
You must apply by midnight on 11 June 2023
You’ll find whether your application has been successful or not by email in October 2023
If you’re successful:
you’ll be part of the Local Community Fund for 12 months from 22 October 2023 to 19 October 2024
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week the Suffolk and North East Essex ICB are holding a series of webinars.
Community360’s Shawn Leek, Helen Clegg and Katie Parker will be speaking about reconnecting with nature, the role of social prescribing and dementia and mental health.
MONDAY 15 TH MAY And
The Topic of the Week: Anxiety and Mental Health
TUESDAY 16TH MAY
The Menopause and Mental Health: It Isn’t Just Hot Flushes
Mental Health: The Gardening In Mind Project
WEDNESDAY 17TH MAY
Physical Activity and Mental Health
Do you live in Colchester South?
If you live in one of the following areas, take our survey and help identify how people’s health and wellbeing could be improved in Colchester South!
• Greenstead
• Marks Tey and Layer
• Mersea and Pyefleet
• Old Heath and the Hythe
• Rowhedge
• Tiptree
• Wivenhoe
There are many factors which have a positive or negative impact on your health and wellbeing.
Community360 are part of the Live Well Neighbourhood Programme which aims to prevent future ill health and improve wellbeing so that you can live well.
We need your local knowledge to help us understand what a healthy neighbourhood could look like for you and the people living in the south of Colchester.
Essex County Council (ECC) is committed to ensuring the delivery of the most effective services for the residents of Essex, which improve outcomes and maximise opportunities, whilst ensuring best value for money for taxpayers.
Essex County Council is the second largest local authority in the United Kingdom, serving a population of over 1.5 million residents, with five acute hospitals, and a diverse range of rural and urban areas with significant coastline.
The Council currently commissions a county wide Information, Advice, Guidance and Support service for unpaid carers aged over 18.
The Council and its partners are currently examining opportunities for the ongoing provision of this service when the contract expires in March 2024 and this document provides a broad overview of the current position and operational demands.
Please note that this Market Engagement Briefing is not a Tender Specification nor is it an exhaustive list of service requirements. The purposes of this document/process are:
– To solicit interest in this service requirement and determine, with the assistance of providers, the trajectory of the sourcing project.
– To inform the final specification for the tender/contract to ensure compatibility with market capability.
It is anticipated that the Council will seek to have face-to-fact/virtual meeting with interested parties during May/June 2023.