Ticket price: £5pp includes a hot breakfast bap and hot drink
Join us for our Time to Talk About Men’s Mental Health Event at Colchester Rugby Club to raise awareness of men’s mental health, with guest speakers, local support services, and resources for men’s mental wellbeing. This event is in collaboration with The Colte Partnership.
Join the OutHouse on Saturday, 14th June, for a joyous celebration of Pride Month as we mark the 45th birthday of The OutHouse, our wonderful charity supporting the LGBTQ+ community. The event will take place in the beautiful gardens of The Minories, a stunning venue that provides the perfect backdrop for an afternoon of fun, community, and celebration.
From 12 noon until 8pm, the gardens will be the heart of this special occasion.
This special day will honour The OutHouse’s incredible journey and the positive impact it has had over the last 45 years, all while celebrating the diversity and unity of the LGBTQ+ community.
Don’t miss this unforgettable celebration! It’s the perfect way to come together and enjoy a sunny day in the garden with friends, family, and allies. We look forward to seeing you there!
Join us at the AgeWell Fair for a fun and informative day filled with activities and resources to help you live your best life as you age!
Date: Tuesday 10th June 2025
Time: 10am – 2pm
Location: Causeway House: 34 Bocking End Braintree CM7 9RW
Braintree District Council is organising the AgeWell Fair, a free event on Tuesday, June 10th, from 10 am to 2 pm at Causeway House in Braintree. This initiative aims to simplify access to vital information and support for residents and their families seeking assistance. Over 30 organisations will be present, offering guidance on various topics, including housing support, health and wellbeing services, and other valuable community resources.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn how to navigate the support system effectively and discover solutions tailored to their individual needs. Organisations attending include Carers First, Home Instead, and Essex Dementia Care.
While residents can simply turn up on the day, those who register in advance via the Braintree District Council website will receive a complimentary goody bag.
Come and meet partners:
A Place to Be You , Crossroads, Agewell East, Essex Police, Carers First, Home Instead, Healthwatch Essex, Fusion, Freshwell Low Carb Project, Essex Dementia Care, Braintree District Council Community Services, Braintree District Council Handy Man Service, Essex County Council Adult Social Care, Cunningtons Solicitors, Digi Go, Christchurch Pharmacy, Braintree Podiatry, Farleigh Hospice.
Welcome to the AgeWell Fair! Join us on Tuesday 10th June 2025 at Causeway House, Braintree for a day filled with fun activities and valuable information to help you live your best life as you age. From health and wealth advice to fitness and safety information, there’s something for everyone at this event.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect with local resources and learn how to stay healthy and active as you get older. Lets help everyone to AgeWell!
Join us at St Andrews Church, Greenstead, Colchester for a Compassionate Community Meetup…
🫶 Compassionate Community Meetups are an opportunityto be part of a special network of people, places and projects who are coming together to support others during life’s most difficult moments.
🌞 We are starting with a cuppa at 10am with intro’s from the St Andrews team and Safe Harbour Project at St Helena, who will describe how they are supporting local communities and collaborating with community ambassadors.
👟 A group wellbeing walk & talk will start at 11am for those who wish to participate.
❤️ These really are fantastic events that bring communities together, as you can see from the pics below from our April Meetup
Thinking about whether to turn your community group, company or CIC into a charity? Find out the pros and cons, how it works, and get your questions answered.
Write and submit your bid with support, strategy & cheerleading
with Christina Poulton
If you wear all the hats and writing bids is one thing on your to-do list, it’s stressful. There’s no one to bounce ideas off, no one to answer your questions, and no one to cheer when you finally hit submit.
Hiring a bid writer is often out of budget, and besides, no one can tell the story of your work like you can!
That’s where the Funding Bids: Make It Happen Week comes in.
Sign up to get a focused week of action designed to help you plan, write, and submit a strong funding application, with support every step of the way
Location: Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway, University of Essex
After a sell-out at our launch event in Feb, the Compassionate Businesses Network is thrilled to invite you to this next space for inspiring leadership, purposeful networking, and community-driven ideas.
Join fellow forward-thinking professionals from across North East Essex to connect, collaborate and champion compassion in the workplace.
🌟Why Attend?
✔️ Meet like-minded professionals
✔️ Get inspired by real-life compassionate leadership
✔️ Take away ideas that strengthen your people, purpose and performance
✔️ Help shape a growing local compassionate community
What’s on the agenda? 08:30–09:00 – Power networking with brilliant local businesses 09:00–10:00 – Headline Speaker: Mark Millbourne, Headteacher, Prettygate Schools.
🔥 Mark will be describing how creating a nurturing school community culture has boosted outcomes – and how these lessons translate directly to compassionate business strategy.
10:00–10:30 – Community Asset Exchange – share, spark, support
💡 Limited tickets available – CLICK HEREto book now and avoid disappointment!
Free parking and welcome refreshments are included! All proceeds support the development of the network and your community.
Follow the Compassionate Businesses Network on LinkedIn
We are pleased to share some information about the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) place-based support work that Active Essex are leading on behalf of the Essex County Council Strengthening Communities Team.
This work will be identifying what success looks like for the VCS at place, recognising the ambitions of local VCS organisations, the expertise and strengths that already exist in a place and how we might be able to work in partnership to share and learn with other VCS organisations.
Over the coming weeks we will be working in partnership with a wide range of partners in order develop place plans so that we can best respond to the local needs of the VCS.
Your voice, views, ambitions and ideas are key to us ensuring that the right support and resource is put in place as part of the VCS place support offer. We would really appreciate it if you could spare 5-10 minutes to complete the below survey to tell us what support your organisation needs to help you further develop, thrive and sustain.
We are also keen to hear from local organisations who feel they have experiences and expertise that could benefit other VCS organisations across Essex. This might be through training, share and learn networks, webinars, mentoring, etc… If you feel you could contribute to the VCS place-based support offer, then please also complete the survey below. This will help us to understand what strengths are already in a place.
There is now less than one week remaining to respond to the UK Government’s consultation on the proposed formation of a Mayoral Combined County Authority for Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.
While the proposed devolution deal could bring significant benefits such as greater local control over funding and decision-making in areas like skills, transport, and business support it is important to note that the consultation also seeks views on future governance arrangements.
Voluntary sector colleagues are strongly encouraged to respond, even if they are broadly supportive of devolution overall. This is a key opportunity to help shape how governance will work in practice, and to ensure that any new arrangements meaningfully reflect and leverage the insights, experience, and community reach of the voluntary sector.
It is vital that the voice of the sector is heard in discussions about how representation is structured and how local knowledge can best inform decision-making within a future Mayoral Combined Authority.
Details of the consultation and how to respond can be found here:
Feeding the Family are looking for a passionate individual to join our Board of Trustees and help shape the future of their work..
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who wants to make a real impact in the Basildon community.
Key details: • Role: Trustee (voluntary position) • Charity Focus: Tackling loneliness & Isolation through food and community • Commitment: 7 meetings a year • More info & how to apply: feedingthefamily.uk/trustee-recruitment
If you have any questions or know someone who may be a great fit, please feel free to get in touch with Keeley Scarborough on 01268 207009 / keeley@feedingthefamily.uk
