Chelmsford Partners

City of Chelmsford Mencap is a local, independent charity supporting people with a learning disability throughout mid-Essex.

The Charity provides a lifelong learning service, The Outreach Academy (open five days a week fifty weeks a year), social clubs, specialist services, and information and support for members and their families and carers.

Chelmsford CVS is an independent charity set up to champion, support and strengthen local charities, voluntary and community groups.

We offer specialist information and support to enable local people to develop the skills needed to run successful voluntary groups; we spread good practice, encourage joint working, and promote equality and diversity by fostering a wider understanding of the needs of disadvantaged and under-represented groups. We help public bodies to engage effectively with the local voluntary sector, and ensure policy makers understand the needs of local voluntary organisations and community groups.

Through the Chelmsford Volunteer Centre we support local organisations, and broker safe and impactful volunteering opportunities for local people.

Chelmsford CVS is in regular contact with hundreds of voluntary and community groups, clubs and charities that work directly with some of the most vulnerable and hard to reach in the local community.

To find help, please contact the Centre on 01245 351888 to discuss the options available. You can also browse our public database: Chelmsford Connects - https://chelmsfordconnects.org.uk/

We also work with a variety of partners to develop and host local projects to help strengthen communities and meet identified needs. Our projects include:

Chelmsford Volunteer Centre
Chelmsford Response Helpline & Hub
NHS Social Prescribers
Chelmsford Men’s Shed
LiveWell Community Garden Network
Chelmsford Community Craft Group
Chelmsford 4 Good Charity Shop
Chelmsford 100
Computer Club with the IT Man
Winter
SWOT

Employ-Ability is a specialist employment support charity working with people with physical and mental health conditions. Our purpose is to support people to secure and retain employment. We promote employment as it is both a normal aspiration and because it is a proven method of supporting recovery. It is a completely free service and we are in partnership with the NHS to help people in local communities across Essex. Our employment services follow a delivery model known as Individual Placement Support (IPS) This model is used across the globe to help people find paid, sustainable work, working with the individual's job preferences.

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.

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.

Trailnet offers a range of cycling and other activities from our Cycle Centre at Thorndon Country Park.

We have a wide selection of standard bikes and adapted trikes so that all ages and abilities can cycle through the woods, either independently or as part of one of our supported group rides.

We also offer cycling lessons for those that can't ride a bike, provide free cycle mechanic training and refurbish old bikes for reuse by the public.

In addition to cycling, we offer orienteering using a map and compass, and geocaching - a high-tech treasure hunt using hand-held GPS units.

Volunteers are always welcome to help us deliver our various sessions.

However you want to enjoy outdoor activities, we are there to help.

Become a Family Mentor!

Do you have an interest in helping people & supporting your local community of Southend-On-Sea? Do you think you can spare some time in your week to support a family as a volunteer?

Volunteering Matters, the Family Mentors project in Southend, recruits and trains their volunteers to help support families. (Volunteers from outside of the Southend area would have to travel to to Southend where our project is based)

Our Volunteers act as trusted mentors, providing consistent emotional and practical support to families in their homes every week. Volunteers tailor their support to the unique needs of each family, building on strengths, and promoting resilience.

We do not require you to have previous experience, as we feel our volunteers can make use of their life experiences and relevant skills to support our families, as well as the training provided.

This is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to increase their experience in mentoring and may wish to have a career in Social Work, support work or counselling.

This opportunity fits around your availability – you will need to commit to 1 – 2 hours per week for 6 – 12 months. Usually a year’s support is required.

Some of our volunteers can also offer telephone support for the family, if this is preferred by the volunteer, and the family being supported.

Aim of project……..

• Helping families to be independent
• Assisting with practical activities e.g. Budgeting, Parenting, Routine Building
• Build a relationship of trust and mutual respect through the tasks they do and through regular contact with the family
• Support families and help them to be aware of and make contact with useful, local resources

What Volunteering Matters will give you……

• Training which will include: Safeguarding, Building Self Esteem & more
• Further on-going relevant training opportunities
• Reimbursement of travel and any other agreed “out of pocket” expenses
• On-going staff member support

What you will get from the role….

• A huge amount of satisfaction
• Helping to support the local community
• Being part of a community
• Training and experience
• Job reference from us (after you have volunteered for us for 1 year)

Role requirements:

• Aged over 18 years old
• Able and willing to commit to visit/speak with the family once every week, for a minimum of 6 months
• Willing to provide references and complete a DBS (criminal record) check, paid for by Volunteering Matters
• Have an interest in helping people, both parents and children

Commitment

This opportunity fits around your availability - you only need to commit to between 1 – 2 hours per week for 6 - 12 months. Usually a year's support is required. Please note: Due to current safeguarding procedures, volunteer support will only be over the telephone although some support is returning to face to face.