Gold Geese, a small, local charity supporting families facing childhood cancer, is encouraging the community to learn the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer and help spread the word.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and around 1,900 children in the UK are diagnosed with cancer each year. Gold Geese operates across mid and south Essex and this year, they have been raising awareness of childhood cancer from as far as Maldon to Brentwood and Chelmsford to Southend. To raise awareness, local businesses and schools are encouraged to display Gold Geese signs and symptoms posters and, in some cases, go big with their gold decorations (gold is the ribbon colour for childhood cancer awareness).
Gold Geese has organised a bumper number of events this month to help raise awareness and funds for its support:
On Saturday, September 5, a special convoy of more than 100 gold and yellow cars toured the streets of Leigh-on-Sea, Chalkwell and Southend to raise awareness of childhood cancer
The charity has also collaborated with Leigh-on-Sea Brewery to develop a special Gold Geese beer, with 10% of every purchase going directly to the charity. A number of Gold dads took part in making the first brew and attended the launch party this weekend. The beer will be available to buy at several local venues across mid and south Essex.
Leigh Marina will turn gold during Leigh Regatta on September 12 and 13, with a family fun day raising funds for Gold Geese
On Wednesday, September 16, CEO Katie will embark on a solo eight-day fundraising trek across the width of Essex, in remembrance of the Gold children who have passed away. Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/page/katie-walks-essex
Katie is hosting a ‘signs and symptoms Zoom training’ event for parents, teachers, nursery managers and medical professionals
On September 26, Legra Tap are hosting a closing party, with music from singer Eleanor Hudson and Tony Jefford from the band Jackie Wilson Says. Tickets are available at Legra Tap X Gold Geese Party tickets
Katie Southgate, CEO and founder of Gold Geese, said: “We’d love to see as many people as possible join our events this month. If you’d like to support our campaign at school or work, you could wear yellow or gold for the day, hold a bake sale or put up one of our posters.
“Just like geese stick together on their epic journeys, we’re showing our Gold families that the whole community supports them and we fly together.”
Free symptom awareness posters are available to collect from Metro Bank in Southend and Chelmsford, or email fundraising@goldgeese.org to arrange collection.
The Essex Alliance is sharing this training opportunity on behalf of Mind in West Essex.
The Essentials workshop is the foundation for workplace wellbeing, and it’s at the core of everything we do at The Mental Health Toolkit.
This half-day session takes you through the Mental Health Continuum – the spectrum of mental health that we are all on – and introduces you to the Emotional Needs & Resources approach.
Unmet emotional needs trigger symptoms of mental ill health. Understanding how to meet them helps you understand what you need to be well, and enables you to take care of yourself and those around you.
The dates below have been fully funded by Essex County Council, and are offered free of charge for staff and volunteers of any VCSE organisations working in Essex.
The Robin Cancer Trust and InColchester BID are inviting local businesses to join them at an upcoming September event, featuring a relaxed afternoon of mini-golf, food, drinks and networking in support of life-saving cancer awareness.
Taking place on 10th September 2026 from 4pm to 8pm at Putt in the Park in Colchester, the Putt & Connect event will bring together local businesses for an informal social, designed to help teams connect, build relationships and support an important cause.
Open to any business or organisation, the event offers an alternative approach to traditional networking, with no presentations, formal introductions or golf experience required. Attendees can enjoy a round of mini-golf, refreshments and the opportunity to meet other local business owners, teams and potential partners in a relaxed setting.
The event has been created by The Robin Cancer Trust and InColchester BID to
highlight the important role businesses can play in supporting their local communities, while raising awareness of testicular, ovarian and germ cell cancers and the charity’s work to educate and save lives.
The Putt & Connect event is open to individuals and teams of four, making it suitable for businesses looking for a summer team social, as well as those wanting to expand their local network.
Attendees will receive:
● A round of mini-golf at Putt in the Park
● A burger and drink included in the ticket price
● The chance to meet and connect with fellow local businesses
● An opportunity to support cancer awareness in the community
Tickets cost £25 per person and businesses can register as a team of four or attend individually.
Toby Freeman, founder and CEO of The Robin Cancer Trust said: “We’re delighted to bring local businesses together for Putt & Connect. It’s a great opportunity for people to meet others in the local business community while helping us continue to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and the importance of early action.”
Vincent Geaves, BID Manager, InColchester BID said: “Putt & Connect is exactly the kind of event we love to support at InColchester BID. It brings people together, showcases a fantastic city centre venue, and creates valuable opportunities for local businesses to network in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. We’re particularly proud to be partnering with The Robin Cancer Trust, helping to raise awareness of their important work while encouraging connections across Colchester’s business community.”
The event takes place at Putt in the Park, Ryegate St Peters Street, Lower Castle Park, Colchester CO1 1HL, on Thursday 10th September 2026, 4pm–8pm.
Today, more than 24,000 people in Essex are living with dementia, and its impact reaches far beyond those diagnosed, affecting families, carers, friends, neighbours, colleagues, and professionals. With numbers expected to rise significantly by 2030, it is more important than ever that we work together to ensure our services, communities, and support are ready for the future.
2026 marks an important milestone as Greater Essex, (ECC, Southend and Thurrock) refreshes its Dementia Strategy. The strategy sets out our shared vision to help people live well with dementia through priorities such as prevention, timely diagnosis, information and advice, support for carers, dementia-inclusive communities, and high-quality care. As part of the refresh, we are reviewing what is working well, where there are gaps, and what improvements are needed.
We want this strategy to be shaped by the people it affects most. Every voice matters, and we are particularly keen to hear from people across Essex’s diverse communities so the refreshed strategy reflects a wide range of experiences, needs, and aspirations.
Your feedback will help us build a strategy that supports people living with dementia, their families, and carers, and helps make Essex an even better place to live.
The Essex Alliance is sharing this information on behalf of Renew Counselling.
Renew Counselling and Training is a local charity providing professional counselling for children, young people and adults. Many of the people who come to us are facing overwhelming life pressures. For some, the cost of counselling can be a barrier to getting the help they need at the time they need it most.
That is why we are taking part in the Christmas Big Give through our Heads Together This Winter campaign, raising vital funds for Renew’s Counselling Bursary Fund.
We are seeking £2,500 in pledges from local businesses and community supporters. Every pledge, large or small, will help us reach that target. Through the Big Give, these pledges can then be matched, creating the opportunity to raise £5,000 to help local people access counselling when cost would otherwise prevent them from receiving support.
By supporting this campaign, your business would be helping to ensure that professional counselling is available to people in our community when they need it most.
Your pledge could help:
A child receive specialist counselling after experiencing trauma.
A young person access support before problems escalate.
An adult facing crisis begin their journey towards hope and recovery.
If making a pledge isn’t possible at this time, you can still make a meaningful difference by sharing our campaign with your wider business network. Every introduction and every share helps us reach more people who may be able to support this campaign, bringing us one step closer to our £2,500 pledge target and helping more local people access affordable counselling.
Whether through a pledge or by sharing our campaign with your wider network, your support could make a real difference. If you feel your business is able to help, we’d be incredibly grateful for your support.
Thank you for taking the time to consider supporting local people this winter. Together, we can ensure that more people receive the counselling they need, when they need it most.
The Robin Cancer Trust is inviting people across Essex to pull on their brightest pants and take part in its much-loved Pants to Cancer Walk, returning to Clacton-on-Sea on Sunday 20th September 2026.
Now in its sixth year, the charity event encourages participants to wear their underwear over their clothes while proudly shouting “Pants to Cancer!” as they walk together to raise vital awareness and funds for people affected by testicular, ovarian and germ cell cancers.
The family-friendly event follows a 7-mile route from Clacton Pier to Walton Pier, with the option to complete the full 14-mile round trip for those looking for an extra challenge. Participants are encouraged to wear colourful pants, knickers, boxers or even bloomers over their outfits, creating a fun and eye-catching spectacle along the Essex seafront.
Entry costs £12 for adults and £6 for under-18s, with every participant receiving a medal. The walk is suitable for wheelchair users and well-behaved dogs on leads are also welcome.
Toby Freeman, Founder and CEO of The Robin Cancer Trust, said: “We’re so excited to bring the Pants to Cancer walk back for its sixth year. Last year’s event welcomed more than 100 participants, making it our biggest walk yet, and it was fantastic to see so many people getting
behind our mission in such a fun and memorable way.”
“Whether you’re walking in superhero pants, colourful boxers or giant novelty bloomers, every step helps us raise awareness of cancers that are often diagnosed too late. We can’t wait to see more people joining us this September to help save lives.”
This year’s walk is being sponsored by East Coast 5 and the Daniel Connal Partnership, but the charity is currently inviting more local businesses to sponsor the event or attend with their staff.
Participants are encouraged to fundraise, with every pound helping The Robin Cancer Trust continue its life-saving work through awareness campaigns, educational talks in schools, colleges and workplaces, and support services for people and families affected by testicular, ovarian and germ cell cancers. A £10 donation helps the charity reach thousands of young people through its digital awareness campaigns, £25 provides a Thriver Support Pack to someone recently diagnosed and £50 enables the charity to deliver a life-saving cancer awareness talk.
A team of researchers at the University of Essex in collaboration with Essex based local authority, third sector and NHS staff as well as people with lived experience of mental distress have developed a signposting tool “CoSign”. The development process was supported by NIHR ARC East of England.
What is CoSign?
CoSign was designed to support individuals over 18 to identify wider determinants (e.g. relationships, work, family, housing etc)that may be triggering their current emotional distress and to facilitate signposting to appropriate community-based support. CoSign is not an assessment or diagnosis tool and is not an outcome measure. Neither is CoSign an asset map or attempting to replace existing asset maps and search tools, since the main aim of CoSign is to help users identify what kind of support to start looking for rather than to provide an exhaustive list of support services. The signposts generated by CoSign signpost individuals to support/services in Essexor national advice services that match the user’s specific challenges. Users are also directed to the Essex Map, Frontline and other local maps for more detailed, localised searches.
Although designed for individual use, CoSign could also be used by professionals (e.g. social prescribers, community workers, GPs, student support workers) working collaboratively with clients.
The question items in CoSign have been selected through a rigorous process using statistical techniques. The statistical analysis used data from the Understanding Society: UK Household Longitudinal Survey. CoSign is ready for use in a pilot phase and feedback is being collected from users through an evaluation project.
The Essex Alliance is sharing this funding opportunity on behalf of Essex County Council.
The Families First Neighbourhood Grants Programme (FFNGP) is a £2.5 million grant programme which will fund targeted early intervention support for children, young people and families. The programme is funded through the Department for Education’s Families First Partnership Policy.
Eligible organisations can apply for a grant from £15,000 up to £60,000.
All funding projects and programmes will run for 30 months (two and a half years). They are required to start 1 October 2026 and finish 31 March 2029.
Who Can Apply
Applications are invited from voluntary and community organisations and not-for-profit organisations, including:
voluntary and community sector enterprise (VCSE) organisations
registered charities
community interest companies (CICs)
not-for-profit organisations limited by guarantee
charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
community benefit societies or co-operative societies
What It Can Fund
The FFNGP will fund targeted early intervention projects and programmes that enable children and families to:
address challenges early
build resilience
achieve positive and sustainable outcomes
Applications can be focused on direct work with children (five years plus), young people, parents and carers or a combination of those through whole family support.
We will fund projects and programmes that are already active, or have recently been delivered, and are known to achieve good outcomes.
Where It Covers
The grants programme covers the 12 districts within our administrative area (excluding Southend and Thurrock).
For the purpose of the FFNGP, a neighbourhood means a clearly defined local area within Essex. This includes a:
housing estate
ward
village
town
Applicants must explain why a neighbourhood has been chosen and how the proposed activity responds to local need. Prioritisation will be given to applications which target areas where need and demand levels are greatest.
How to Apply
The application window is open from Thursday 9 July 2026 until Monday 17 August 2026.
Join the Parents 1st UK team as a Marketing Assistant (Maternity Cover)
Location: Essex (home-based with occasional travel across Essex) Hours: 15 hours per week (hours can be worked flexibly, but must include Tuesdays and Thursdays)
We’re looking for a motivated Marketing Assistant to join the Parents 1st UK team. This is a fixed term contract to September 2027 to cover maternity leave.
If you’re creative, passionate about helping others, and have at least 1 years’ experience in marketing, then we’d love to hear from you!
We are seeking:
– An all-rounder – you must have experience of social media, paid ads, email marketing, copywriting and asset creation
– An individual with a high level of attention to detail and a positive can-do attitude
– A confident communicator with excellent IT skills
– Someone who is well organised and able to manage multiple projects at once
Mid and North East Essex Mind are pleased to offer new Suicide Awareness workshops for organisations and the communities of Mid and North East Essex. This course is designed to help you have potentially life-saving conversations and provide practical tools to help stay calm, respond with confidence, and know what to say (and what not to say) when someone may be at risk. It looks at warning signs, and how to hold a supportive and boundaried conversation, whilst connecting the person to the right kind of help – without taking on the role of a therapist or clinician.
During this workshop, participants will:
– Discuss warning signs to look out for, even when the person may not be engaged with mental health services or specifically have spoken about suicide
– Learn appropriate language to use when talking about suicide
– Explore strategies for self-care both during and after conversations about suicide.
