Braintree Partners

Active Essex is the Physical Activity and Sport Partnership for Essex, Southend, and Thurrock. The organization aims to collaborate with partners to build an Active Essex, supporting individuals in enhancing their mental and physical well-being.
My employer is Sport for Confidence, but Active Essex has funded my Find Your Active Navigator role, allowing me to work three days a week in this position, with the remaining two days spent as a coach for SFC.

Mental Health Wellbeing and Recovery Programme.

Please contact for additional details.

Community360 (C360) is an independent charity formed in 1968.  We are committed to a vision to build “thriving local communities”. Our Mission is: “To inspire and enable local community action to improve quality of life”. We aim to do this in line with our core values and provide a range of community projects in the Braintree district such as:

• Braintree Volunteer Centre www.volunteeressex.org
• Braintree Time Bank https://www.community360.org.uk/get-involved/time-bank/
• Community Development and organisational support
• Community Weight Management Services
• Social groups

Through the Volunteer Centre and Time Bank we support a range of not-for-profit organisations with volunteers and currently advertise over two hundred roles in the Braintree District. We also recruit volunteers to support our own projects, such as providing community IT (i-Tea) sessions, monthly Finding your Feet Walks and Braintree Slipper Exchange, to name but a few. 

If you would like any more information or support with finding voluntary placements then please feel free to get in contact. 

We provide Essex residents (excluding Southend-On-Sea and Thurrock) with access to health checks; stop smoking services; weight management courses; and emotional health and wellbeing support. All of our services are free.

First Stop is a charity helping those who are in need in the Braintree area and surrounding communities.

The aim is to help those who have/or are disadvantaged by: a history of poor mental health, carers, ex-offenders, homelessness, learning needs, senior citizens, single parents, socially isolated, substance misuse, those unemployed (whether on benefits or not) or anyone in hardship needing help.

The help they can get is by accessing:

• Affordable Counselling, 1:1 appointments
• Our Community Fridge (accessing good nutritional food and helping prevent food waste)
• CV Construction
• Education classes: Confidence courses (a choice of 4), Learn my Way (IT), Digital Confidence- using tablets and other devices (including internet safety), arts & crafts and basic skills, including budgeting and maths- all in a professional but informal way
• Accessing impartial Information, Advice & Guidance- to a range of services
• Safe c/o address 

And any other help that may be needed. Our expertise is that as a long established organisation, we can refer on to a range of services to meet an individual's needs.  

Home-Start Essex aims to give families with at least one child aged under 5 the best possible start in life by supporting parents and caregivers to feel less isolated, to build their confidence in themselves and their parenting and to find ways to manage the challenges they face. We build trusting, helpful relationships with families and deliver a range of flexible support to meet their individual needs, including volunteer-led home visiting, family groups, wellbeing services, school-readiness, and behaviour support programmes.

We are your local mental health charity. Our mission is to listen to our communities and offer compassionate and inclusive mental health services, resources, and practical support to promote wellbeing for everyone.

Mid and North East Essex Mind believe no one should face a mental health problem alone. We provide mental health services for children and adults across the area including counselling, peer support, practical support and a dedicated young people's service. To find out more about the services available in your area please call us or visit the website for more information. 

We provide free and confidential services to support people who are currently experiencing, or have previously experienced domestic abuse.

We are passionate about ensuring that every person has the opportunity to live their life free from domestic abuse.

Our staff and volunteers are trained to provide support at the highest possible standard, informed by the trauma the individual has experienced and led by their needs.  We provide immediate support and advice to promote safety and reduction in risk of harm and longer term support to promote emotional recovery and practical support wherever it is needed to enable planning for a safer future.

Community Support
We support people who are experiencing domestic abuse and don't feel able to or need to leave their home.  We are able to work with individuals in a community setting and can provide access to the same emotional and practical advice and support to promote safety and recovery for a safe and happy future.  We currently are able to offer services to individuals living in the local authority areas of Colchester, Tendring, Braintree, Chelmsford, Maldon and Uttlesford.

Refuge Accommodation
Our purpose-built accommodation provides a temporary home for up to 12 women and children who have reached crisis point. The flatlets are modern and well equipped.  Each new resident receives a practical “starter pack” when she arrives.  A key worker will support her and her family right from the beginning of their journey. When she leaves, we support her to begin her life’s next chapter.

Domestic abuse is rarely a single issue and many residents arrive needing specialist support to deal with substance misuse (drugs and alcohol). In our residential house, with nine flatlets, we provide professional, specialist support focused on the identified needs of women who are battling with this type of addiction to help them with their recovery journey.

Children & Young Persons Service
Children and young people are affected by domestic abuse too.  Our Children’s and Young People’s Team include Pre-school Practitioners, Creative Therapist and Children’s Support Workers.  We can provide a range of services including emotional support for children and young people, parenting support, family work, pre-school education, school holiday activities.  We also undertake some work in the community in partnership with local schools and other agencies.

Raising awareness of domestic abuse is a very important part of our work. In primary and secondary schools as well as in higher education, we talk to young people about healthy relationships and how to recognise the signs of abuse.

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and charity, and we exist to love God and to love Others. In our community, we offer community and practical support to people of all ages, without discrimination. Coffee mornings, friendship groups, parent and toddler groups, an emergency food bank and support for those experiencing homelessness.

Sport for Confidence combines the expertise of Occupational Therapists and Sports Coaches in leisure centres to make reasonable adjustments and reduce barriers to enable everyone to participate in accessible sport and physical activity to improve health, wellbeing and life skills. Based in various leisure centres across Essex and London, we adapt physical activity sessions to be inclusive to everyone over the age of 16.