Maldon Partners

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.  

Maldon and District Community Voluntary Service exists to support thriving and strong communities in the Maldon District. Our services are designed to support and develop the local voluntary and community sector to thrive for the benefit of local people and the towns and villages they live in.

We offer a range of services to the local sector including funding and governance advice and information cascade. We also host the District's Volunteer Centre which supports people to get involved in community action and run a range of projects, services and activities to help people to feel well and connected to their communities.

We provide a woodworking project based environment to men in the community in an effort to address depression, social isolation, redundancy, effects of serious illness diagnosis, divorce or bereavement.

Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd is the trading arm of The Salvation Army in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

We were established in 1991 to help fund The Salvation Army’s vital work with vulnerable people in the UK, and today we raise money and encourage reuse and recycling through a network of over 230 charity shops and a clothing collection division.

Our core purpose is to provide The Salvation Army with resources to enhance its mission.

We pride ourselves on:

• Acting with… Responsibility, ensuring that we are good custodians of the resources entrusted to us
• Acting with… Honesty, at all times upholding the integrity of the organisation. We will be truthful to ourselves and trusting in each other.
• Demonstrating…Commitment in our day to day work, in order that the company can best support the aims and objectives of The Salvation Army.
• Showing… Respect, honouring the admiration in which The Salvation Army is held. We will mirror the esteem for the organisation and each individual within it.
• Striving for… Excellence in all that we do, particularly in the area of customer service.
• Acting with… Compassion, demonstrating an awareness of, and sensitivity towards each other, creating a desire to embrace the distressed and comfort those in need.

In our charity shops, we offer our volunteers the chance to gain some valuable retail experience, build their confidence and social skills and be part of our team. We cater for Neurodiverse and disabled volunteers.

Short courses and NVQ qualifications are available (dependant on criteria) and are facilitated through our own award winning 'learning booth'

25% Discount is also available on goods purchased in store.

Bus fares can be returned and lunches can be provided.

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.