NEED A CHAT OR SOME COMPANY?

The ActivLives Men’s Breakfast Hub is a social, confidential and supportive group for men age 45+ It takes places every Wednesday, from 10am – 12pm at the Cross Pavillion, Halifax Road, Ipswich, IP2 8RE. To find out more contact Alison Pearson on 01473 345350.

The Exchange is a new monthly ‘Men’s Meet Up’ which is starting on Monday, 4th July. It is taking place from 7.30pm – 9.30pm at the Diss Youth and Community Centre. Shelfanger Road, IP22 4EH. For More info contact Gary on 07714 100032

Re-engage Companionship If you are 75+ and would really benefit from some much-needed companionship, Re-engage can help.  Their volunteer ‘Call Companions’ are on hand to listen and chat on a regular basis.  For more details on this service  call Re-engage on 0800 716 543 (All calls are free)  or visit their website 

Trans+ Support Service  THE OUTHOUSE & the NHS are offering a new bespoke support service throughout Suffolk and North East Essex helping  for individuals aged 16+ across multiple formats.

• To transgender
• Non-binary
• Gender questioning
• Support for carers/family
• Support & advice about de-transitioning.

For more information on the service contact trans.support@theouthouse.org.uk

Emotional Wellbeing Hub Helpline Barnardo’s have introduced a new phoneline service for emotional wellbeing information, support and resources aimed at parents, carers & young people. The helpline number is 0345 600 2090 (option 2) and is available Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. 

Mental Health Crisis Line The 111 option for mental health crisis service  for all ages has now been updated and people calling the service will be asked to ‘choose the ‘mental health option’. This is a crisis mental health triage service is only for individuals who require urgent support and a trained mental health professional will answer the call.

Independent Age – Regular Phone Calls. If you’re feeling in need of a good chat with someone who cares – perhaps because you’re living on your own or your health isn’t what it used to be – their volunteers can provide a regular chat over the phone. How it works: You sign up for as long or as short a time as you like; you’ll catch up with your volunteer at a regular time that suits you both. If you decide your volunteer isn’t working out, you can let them know and they’ll find you someone else. There is no charge – friendship is free! Call Independent Age‘s Helpline on 0800 319 6789 for more information.

Boloh. Are you a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic child, young person, parent or carer, affected by Covid-19? Barnardo’s have launched a helpline to support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic; providing advice, signposting and emotional support. You can speak to Boloh about your worries, problems and stresses during this time, and they can provide emotional support, practical advice and signposting to other organisations who can provide further help. If you’re a professional, you can also contact us to discuss how to support a child or young person they are working with. In many languages, Boloh means speak. The helpline is available by phone on 0800 1512 605 or online by webchat via the Barnados website. They are available to talk Mon-Fri, from 10am-8pm, and Sat-Sun 10am-3pm.

Reengage – Call Companions. Call Companions to help you stay connected through the remaining lockdown and beyond. In response to the Covid-19 crisis Reengage have suspended their regular social gatherings and, with the help of dedicated volunteers, have set up a UK-wide call companions service. Older people who are feeling alone can receive a regular friendly phone call throughout the crisis and beyond, for as long as they want it. Follow the links to their website for more info or email them to seek a call companion for yourself, or someone else.

‘Keep In Touch’ is a new service from The Suffolk Coalition of Disabled People – SCODP.  The project is funded by Disability Action and East Suffolk District Council. If you would like a regular friendly chat, or you know someone who would, or if you would like to have an online chat, then KIT (Keep in Touch) is a service which offers exactly that. In these times they understand that there isn’t the opportunity to have so much contact with the people who would normally make a difference to your day. So if you feel that this is for you or would like to make a referral, you can give them a call on 07708 473197. For an online chat about KIT please send an email to Brenda Joyce. Other enquiries about SCODP can be made to 01473 557577, or by  emailing their enquiries address.

The Silver Line is a confidential, free helpline for older people across the UK that’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. They also offer telephone friendship, matching volunteers with older people based on their interests,  plus facilitated group calls, and helping to connect people with local services in their area. Call Silver Line on 0800 4 70 80 90.

Suffolk Night Owls is an emotional support service run by Suffolk Mind and available by telephone, text or email. Experienced staff will be there to listen and provide impartial support to you and any information needed. The telephone support line is open 7 nights a week from 7pm to 1am. Find out more about how you can register for this service on the Suffolk Mind website or call the enquiry line on 0300 111 6000. Once registered the Suffolk Night Owls contact number will be provided.

Explore Together Service from Suffolk Libraries is a free telephone support and signposting service to help connect people with their communities. The service is free and available to anyone in Suffolk. You can self refer or refer someone you know by via email: exploretogether@suffolklibraries.co.uk or filling in the form online.  Following the referral, a volunteer will be in contact and will make regular phone calls to listen and help people find local organisations, groups and activities to help reduce the feeling of loneliness and isolation.  For more information on the service or to find out how you can become a volunteer click on the image below.

Fancy a Chinwag? Run by Communities Together East Anglia, ‘Chinwag’ socials are a great opportunity for those 60+ to get together and have a good natter over a cuppa. The 2024 CommuniTEA Chinwags are running in Aldeburgh and Saxmundham  with additional activities on offer at the locations.  Click on the individual poster to find out dates and times.

Could you be a Befriending Community Hero? Communities Together East Anglia  would like to hear from you if you enjoy a chat and like helping older people.  For more information call 01449 707030 or email volunteering@communitiestogether-ea.org.

Independent Age Helpline If you or someone you know is in  need of help and support, Independent Age has a free helpline available that you can call. Their friendly advisors  can help with advice on a variety of subjects including money, care, health and more.  Tel: 0800 319 6789  or alternatively there is a  webchat option by clicking on the yellow ‘Need Help?’ box on their website

Community Memory Cafe Halesworth Dementia Carer’s Fund have created a Community Memory Cafe to help peoople with their memory problems.  The cafe will be running every Tuesday between 2 – 4pm from 10th May 2022. For More information contact Jim or Theresa on 01986 875641 or email Info@halesworthdementia.co.uk

Silversurfers is a website aimed at the over 50s, at the heart of Silversurfers community is a philosophy of Trust, Honesty, Friendship and Enjoyment. After registering on the site you can start an online chat & create a group chat with other members, You can also can voice your opinion in polls and current affairs, showcase your creativity and visit the forum to find posts to engage with.

Have you thought about volunteering? You may be stuck at home but you can still be useful. Could you possibly be a telephone befriender for example? If you are a community group helping local people you can register this with Community Action Suffolk to that they can signpost people to you.

Get social: Look out for fun ways to get together with other people and do things, you could even start something yourself. It could be as simple as starting a book club with a handful of neighbours which meets online or over the phone (there are free online resources available: Project Gutenberg has a library of over 60,000 free eBooks, or Audible offers a free 30 day trial for audiobooks), join a singing group or take exercise classes online that are being organised for free.

Find creative ways to just have a chat: Whether it’s on the phone, via Skype, through FaceTime, having a Zoom call or through a window at a safe distance – we know the power of just having a chat. Give your video calls a makeover using a BBC TV set background! Chosen from a selection of over 100 empty sets from the BBC Archive, “who hasn’t wanted to host a pub quiz from the Queen Vic, conduct a job interview from the confines of Fletch’s cell, or catch up with friends and family from the bridge of the Liberator in Blake’s 7?” Strictly Come Dancing, Top of the Pops, Dad’s Army, Eastenders, Doctor Who, Match of the Day, Blue Peter – there are loads to choose from!

Identify people’s communications needs and help those who aren’t digitally savvy get more confident: If you have neighbours who aren’t as digitally savvy as you but do have devices, help get them set up with video conferencing and help them to become more confident. You could even try and do this over a landline phone in order to keep a safe distance. Where people don’t have a device, a phone tree or similar tool could be used to communicate via landline.

onnect with a friend or neighbour via a cuppa! We’ve created four new free card kit designs for you to print, make and share. It’s a great way to post a ‘hello’ or an introduction through a neighbour’s door, or send a kind thought to a friend you’re unable to spend time in person with at the moment. Just download the PDF file to your device (link below), print out your chosen designs and cut and assemble. Then pop a tea bag or coffee sachet into the cup ‘pocket’ and post or deliver to a friend, neighbour or loved one so you can ‘share’ a cuppa til you’re next able to get together. Share your cards to the Rural Coffee Caravan Facebook page, we’d love to see them!