Useful Links

Please note: some links could be appropriate for more than one section, but will only appear once in the most appropriate area. e.g. RSPB is shown under ‘Countryside & Wildlife’ links only, although it is also a charity.
NB: Links are NOT listed alphabetically

Health & Wellbeing

CANCERactive
The UK’s Number 1 independent voice in cancer prevention and evidence-based complementary, alternative and integrated orthodox cancer therapies

www.Credence.org
Credence Publications is an independent research organisation dedicated to reporting contentious issues that may harm the public. Its goal is to report properly annotated and verified information that enables you to make wise health decisions. You might enjoy browsing the Credencegroup online store.

Dementia support

The Essex Family Navigator Service is a single point of contact for people with dementia and their families to find out what local support is available. The service operates Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Email: essex@alzheimers.org.uk or call 01245 260911.

Hypnotherapy Regulation
This is the Working Group for Hypnotherapy Regulation which is comprised of 23 Registering organisations for hypnotherapists

The Alliance for Natural Health (ANH)
The Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) was founded in 2002 and is a UK-based, internationally-active, non-governmental organization, working to help positively shape the regulatory and scientific framework affecting natural health.

Choice and medication
This website offers people information about medications used in the mental health setting to help people make informed decisions about medication. Anybody can use this public website. Use this site on your own or use it together with your family or someone you care for or your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. Search this site for information about conditions, treatments, medicines and side-effects.

www.veggievision.com
The veggie internet TV station showing play-on-demand mini programmes 24/7

www.logon2pets.co.uk
An inter-active website offering practical help & advice to pet owners & animal lovers in a light-hearted way

Living Streets
Living Streets is the national charity that stands up for pedestrians. working to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets, where people want to walk.

Walking for health
England’s largest network of health walk schemes, helping people across the country lead a more active lifestyle.

.Green Exercise
For many years, the University of Essex has been researching the health benefits of “green exercise.” The results of their research make interesting reading and Healthy Life certainly hopes that green exercise will be increasingly recommended by the NHS and other health specialists for both health prevention and health improvement.

Carers Chat
The Trust confidential chat facility for carers. Carers Chat consists of forums where you can exchange discussions and questions with all other members of the community and has lots of useful information that is relevant to carers .

Southend Blind Welfare Organisation
Supporting people with sight loss since 1958 – Southend Blind Welfare Organisation is an independent charity which provides practical help to visually impaired people in and around the Southend-on-Sea.

Arts and Health East
A new regional network designed to bring together those with an interest in the role the arts can play in promoting and sustaining community cohesion and individual health and wellbeing and contributing to recovery and reduced dependence in people who have been ill and disabled.

www.justcallmereg.com
Support and awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Living Well Essex

The Living Well website provides information about health and wellbeing, health conditions, and information about support services across Essex (excluding Thurrock and Southend). The site has been created by Essex County Council in partnership with Healthwatch Essex.

For information on social care services in Essex (excluding Thurrock and Southend) call Essex County Council on: 03457 430 430 or 01245 430 430.

For information about other health and care services call the Healthwatch Essex Information Service on 0300 500 1895.

Or visit the website: https://livingwellessex.org

Essex Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)
Information on your local health services

1. 1. 1. NHS South East Essex:

   Castle Point and Rochford: https://www.castlepointandrochfordccg.nhs.uk/

   Southend: https://www.southendccg.nhs.uk/

   1. 1. 1. 1. 1. NHS South West Essex:

Basildon & Brentwood: http://www.basildonandbrentwoodccg.nhs.uk/

Thurrock: http://www.thurrockccg.co.uk/

1. NHS Mid Essex: www.midessex.nhs.uk
2. NHS West Essex: www.westessexpct.nhs.uk
3. NHS North East Essex: www.northeastessexpct.nhs.uk

1.  Sustainability

   :Southend in Transition
   An exploration of how the people of the borough of Southend on Sea  inc

2. luding Southend, Westcliff, Prittlewell, Southchurch, Leigh, Shoeburyness, Eastwood and Thorpe Bay can prepare for a carbon constrained, energy lean world.Essex Community Reuse and Recycling Network
   Essex Community Reuse and Recycling Network. Working to support re-use and recycling organisations throughout Essex.Recycle for Essex:
   find out what facilities your local council provides, together with lots of other interesting informationPassion for the Planet
   The only radio and TV station providing you with solutions for a green and healthy lifestyle. Playing music from around the world plus interviews and features focused on your health, environment and personal development. Radio TV and podcasts for people who care.Centre for Alternative Technology
   Showing practical solutions to environmental problems to carry us into the twenty-first centurywww.myfootprint.org
   my footprint asks 15 questions to work out your footprint in global hectares relative to other people in the country you live in. The site also provides advice to individuals, schools and businesses on reducing their ecological footprint.www.ecologicalfootprint.com
   A very simple quiz that calculates both your CO2 emissions and your footprint, so you can see how the two compare.Soil Association
   The UK’s leading environmental charity promoting sustainable, organic farming and championing human health.energy saving trust
   A non-profit organisation that provides free impartial advice tailored save money and fight climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from your home and workplaceNational Community Wood Recycling Project
   Reducing waste. Saving resources. Creating jobs through Sustainable Social Enterprise!.Landshare
   A place linking people who want to grow their own fruit & veg to space where they can grow it

   Greenpeace.
   Positive change through action, defending the natural world and promoting peace.
   South East Essex Greenpeace is the local branch of the Greenpeace UK Active group. We hold events in the South East Essex area and beyond to raise awareness of environmental issues and help with central Greenpeace campaigns.(website launching soon

    Countryside & Wildlife

   :R.S.P.B
   The RSPB is a UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and other wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all.

   Essex Wildlife Trust
   Essex Wildlife Trust is a charity that exists to secure a better future for the wildlife and people of Essex

   The British Deer Society
   A charity which works to enable British deer to exist and flourish in today’s environment and ensures that their future is secure for generations to come.

   The Essex Field Club
   The Essex Field Club is a society and charity for wildlife enthusiasts and people with an interest in the natural history and geology of Essex

   Badger Protection Groups in Essex
   

   1. 1. 1. 1. • The Essex Badger Protection Group
               • The North East Essex badger group
               • The Uttlesford Badger Group
               • The Epping Forest Badger Group

    

    Volunteering:

   :Southend Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS)
   Helping you support others.

   www.timebank.org.uk
   Find out about how you could volunteer locally, nationally or internationally. We make sense of all the different types of volunteering, put you in touch with the right opportunities out there, and offer some homegrown TimeBank projects that might be just what you want.

   www.do-it.org.uk
   A huge database of volunteering opportunities in your area.

   www.vinspired.com
   The volunteering site specifically for 16 – 25 year olds. Whatever you want out of volunteering your local vinvolved team can help you find it in your area. Your Youth Volunteer Adviser will provide a personalised service to match you with inspiring opportunities that fit into your life, further your ambitions and indulge your passions. What are you waiting for? Be involved – vinvolved! 0808 1787337.

   British Red Cross
   make a difference to your community in Essex? All our services in Essex rely on Red Cross volunteers who give up their time to help others. emergency response and first aid volunteering, health and social care volunteering, migration services volunteering, other volunteer work (including charity shop and fundraising volunteering)

   Fair Havens & Little Havens
   Fair Havens relies upon the support and dedication of its army of volunteers. Our volunteers help out in a variety of ways from helping out an event to cooking the families meals at the hospice, from typing up letters in our fundraising office to weeding the hospice gardens. And don’t forget our busy shops

   Volunteer Essex
   If you are thinking about volunteering, then Volunteer Essex is a great place to start to find out more about the diversity of volunteering roles in the community and how to get involved. Whether you are looking for something to do as a family, would like to learn new skills, build up your CV and experience or have free time and would like to help your community – there is something for everyone.

    Charities

   :Thrive – Carry on Gardening
   Thrive is a small national charity that helps people with a disability to start or continue gardening.

   Autism Anglia
   A registered charity which provides education, care and support to people with autism spectrum conditions. We also provide support to families and seek to raise awareness of autism amongst the public.

   The British Lung Foundation
   UK charity working for everyone affected by lung disease.

   The Cinnamon Trust
   The only specialist national charity for people in their last years and their much loved, much needed companion animals

   Havens Hospices
   Havens Hospices incorporates Fair Havens Hospice and Little Havens Children’s Hospice.

   The Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity
   Therapeutic support and development to men, women and their supporters following a cancer diagnosis.

   National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, NSPCC
   Our purpose is to end cruelty to children. FULL STOP.

   Peaceful Place
   Specialist care and support for younger people and their families living with dementia.

   Trust Links
   Trust Links aim is to make a long lasting difference and bring positive change for people who are affected by mental ill health within Southend and the local area.

   The National Gardens Scheme
   Every year NGS gardens across England and Wales welcome over half a million visitors. through this they raise £2 million each year for nursing, caring and gardening charities.

   Amazing Daisy Charity Fund
   Raising money to support both Great Ormand Street Children’s Hospital and Southend Hospital’s Neptune Children’s Ward.

   Age Concern Southend
   Providing services which respond to the needs of older people in the borough. Offering comfort, friendship and practical help to residents who feel isolated or who need regular or occasional support in maintaining the life which they wish to lead.

   Macmillan Cancer Support
   Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer. We provide practical, medical and financial support and push for better cancer care. Cancer affects us all. We can all help.

   Ormiston children’s charity
   Ormiston is the biggest children’s charity in the East of England; working to improve the wellbeing of children, young people and their families, whatever their circumstances.

   Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
   Providing world-class clinical care and training, pioneering new research and treatments in partnership with others for the benefit of children in the UK and worldwide

   Essex Air Ambulance
   It costs in the region of £250,000 per month to cover all charitable costs and aircraft operations including the provision of Doctors. The service enables clinicians and life-saving support equipment to be rushed to the scene of an incident and the patient can be flown to an appropriate hospital. The Essex Air Ambulance receives no National Lottery funding and is reliant upon donations from the public and local businesses to raise the funds needed to keep the Air Ambulance flying..

    Spirituality

   :Essex Spirit Guide
   A website to enable seekers to find spiritual resources quickly and comprehensively within their region. The aim is to give various types of information of where to go for spiritual support, events, articles and guidance under one site. Our hope is that we can point seekers to the spiritual pathway of their choice.

    Bullying & Discrimination:

   National Bullying Helpline

   This website has an abundance of information including help guides and downloads for bullying at work, at school and cyberbullying.
   Transpire Southend
   A formally constituted community group that supports transgender people and the wider LGBT+ community, their family and friends. Operating in Southend and surrounding areas.

   Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH)
   The multi award-winning charity providing training, resources and support services to affirm the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or questioning (LGBT+) people. Together these work to reduce discrimination, harassment or bullying experienced because of sexual orientation or gender identity. Services include a freephone UK Helpline and online reporting service for young people to secure support following homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying.
   Helpline number: 0808 1000 143

   General Links:

   RealEssex
   The official home of Essex Tourism and an excellent source of information.

   Adult Community Learning – Essex
   “Knowledge is like climbing a mountain; the higher you reach, the more you can see and appreciate.” –Anonymous
   Essex County Council offers adult learners a choice of over 5,000 part-time courses available at 400 centres. There is something for everyone. Enjoy learning and meeting new friends.

   .The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) Essex Federation
   The UK’s largest voluntary provider of adult education.
   (See also WEA Eastern Region). The WEA is a registered charity.

   The Hadleigh & Thundersley Community Archive
   A digital archive for memories and photos of Hadleigh and Thundersley.