Thank you to everyone that attended the event. We had 42 residents through the doors in just under two hours to have discussions that would not normally have taken place in such a rural setting. We had ten support services attend this included: Citizens Advice 1066, Fellowship of St Nicholas (FSN), Family Support Work (FSW), Mankind, The Sussex Mediation Alliance, Mind Body Therapy, Southern Housing Association and The Grumpy Cook.
We also had three members of Rother Police Team who gave up their time to talk to residents about their concerns and who we will be working closely with in the next 12 months with community-based projects. There was a great deal of support from local governing bodies including an East Sussex County and Rother District Councillor, five members of the Westfield Parish Council and representatives of Ewhurst, Sedlescombe and Catsfield Councils as well.
We believe there is tremendous value in bringing these support services to Westfield and the conversations that have been had, were positive and valuable in helping us to understand the needs of the local community. We will continue to look at what other events we can host in our Parish. Below is a list of the services who attended for any residents wanting to learn more. COntact details adn links to their websites have been provided.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES – Drop in advice clinic
| Citizen’s Advice Bureau The Hastings and Rother Citizens Advice Bureau was founded on 9 September 1939. It has been continuously active as a charity in the Hastings and Rother areas since then. The charity became incorporated as a company limited by guarantee on 28 April 1994. It has been registered with the Charity Commission since 26 July 1994. On 9 December 2008 the company changed its name to Citizens Advice 1066 (“CA 1066”). Our governing document is available to view here. Our Annual Reports and Financial Statements are available to view online at the Companies House and the Charities Commission websites. Contact Us: https://www.eastsussexcab.co.uk/home Website: https://www.citizensadvice1066.co.uk/ |
| Health in Mind Health in Mind is an NHS organisation providing courses and other types of therapies that help with stress, anxiety and low mood. Health in Mind is an IAPT (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies) service and is part of a National programme throughout the UK. IAPT services provide evidenced based treatments for people with anxiety and depression (Implementing NICE guidelines). Health in Mind has qualified CBT therapists, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and Primary Care Mental Health Practitioners . We also have practitioners qualified in Mindfulness, EMDR for post-traumatic stress, and interpersonal therapy and counselling for depression. If you are struggling with work and relationships because of how you are feeling, if you have a lot on your plate, find it hard to motivate yourself and wish things could be different then click on ‘what we do’ to see how we could help. The service is FREE and available to adults over the age of 18 living in the East Sussex area (excluding Brighton & Hove).Health in Mind is delivered by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Our office opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. For support or advice outside of these hours please see our Urgent Help page. Contact Us: spnt.healthinmind@nhs.net Website: https://www.healthinmind.org.uk/ Phone: 0300 0030130 |
| Together South Together South works to support refugees and non-EU migrants in Hastings & Rother, helping them to connect with and thrive in their communities by providing English language lessons, employment advice and community activities. All activities the programme offers are free of charge. The programme has been developed and is now being implemented by Groundwork through the support of the EU Asylum, migration & integration fund (AMIF) until December 2022. The areas this programme covers are Hastings & Rother. Together South is part of Groundwork’s TOGETHER programme, a collection of projects delivered by Groundwork London and Groundwork South which support refugees and non-EU migrants to settle into life in the UK. To find our more about the programme, contact Pierre Matate Email: pierre.matate@groundwork.org.uk Mobile: 07715 632 036 Website: https://www.groundwork.org.uk/projects/together-hastings-and-rother/ |
| Mankind Mankind was set up in January 2020 by local Eastbourne-based friends Ian Pickard and Paul Roskilly to help support men who may need mental-health support or just someone to talk to without judgement. The aim of mankind is to provide a safe place for men to share how they are feeling without feeling judged and to support those who are struggling with their emotional and mental wellbeing. Contact Us: https://mankindcic.co.uk/contact/ Website: www.mankindcic.co.uk |
| Friends Altogether in Rother A befriending service for all ages. Contact Us: friendsaltogetherinrother@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsAltogetherinRother/ |
| Sussex Mediation Alliance The Sussex Mediation Alliance is the joint voice for community mediation across East and West Sussex. It is supported by the four independent charitable community mediation services that operate across both counties and is the cross-county portal for all the latest news, research and developments in the world of mediation. Our services are supported by a variety of different Local Authorities, Housing Associations, Charitable Trusts and the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner, although we are entirely impartial and independent from all of these. Please click on the logos below to visit the websites of each of the services that are members of the alliance. Contact Us: info@sussexmediationalliance.org.uk Website: http://sussexmediationalliance.org.uk/ |
| HARC: Hastings Advice and Representation Centre – NOT CONFIRMED HARC provides confidential and impartial support from application to Appeal tribunal. Our Specialist Welfare Benefit Advisors can help you understand what financial assistance you are entitled to, assist with claims and support you to challenge and appeal unfavourable decisions. By providing free and confidential Welfare Benefits advice, information and representation to the people of East Sussex and the South Coast of England we aim to address inequalities, relieve poverty and improve the quality of life for vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and families. HEADLINE FACTS In the year to April 2022 18,700 people contacted HARC. We secured £5,189,774 in previously unclaimed, enhanced or reinstated benefits of which £4,463,206 was obtained for people with long term health issues. HARC has a 94.5% success rate at appeal. Contact Us: Benefits Helpline 0333 3440681 HARC Advice Line 01424 428375 Website: https://harcuk.com/ Address: The Advice and Community Hub, Renaissance House, London Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex TN37 6AN |
| FSN: Fellowship of St Nicholas FSN was founded in 1939 for the purpose of looking after disadvantaged children, especially orphans. Over a period of 46 years, FSN opened 8 children’s homes and thousands of children passed through its doors. By the 1970’s, changes were taking place in children’s services, and by 1985, all of the homes were closed. However, faced with an increasing social need, FSN opened new residential hostels and developed their first community services. Between 1985 and 1999, FSN developed services such as play schemes, took over a local day nursery, started a Fun Bus and developed a local family support project. In 1999, FSN sold its properties and moved to the St Nicholas Centre site where it stands today. Major building works took place to support plans for the delivery of services, including installing a lift, conversion of the basement and creating rooms to hire and office space to let. Since 1999, FSN has further developed the site which now includes a purpose built day nursery, a Children’s Centre offering health and family support services for children under the age of 5 and a multi-use games area. In 2004, FSN expanded its services into the Robsack Centre which had been at risk of closure, raising vital funds to refurbish the building to provide office space, a dedicated childcare space and a new climbing wall. Since opening its first nursery, St Nick’s in 2003, FSN now offers provision for children across 2 further nurseries, including Greenway Nursery, opened in 2007 and most recently Silverdale Nursery opened in 2015. FSN also delivers a range of services across a wide area including Hastings, St Leonards, Rother and Wealden, responding to the changing needs of the community and the children, young people and families that live there. It is with thanks to the dedication, commitment and creativity of staff, volunteers and supporters which has ensured the success and growth of FSN from its beginnings to the present day. Contact Us: https://www.fsncharity.co.uk/contact Website: https://www.fsncharity.co.uk/ Address: St Nicholas Centre, 66 London Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN37 6AS Phone: 01424 423683 |
| Mind Body Therapy – Linda Bonavogglia – Yoga therapist I’m a yoga therapist working at in-patient mental health services for both the NHS and Priory Group, private hospitals. I work in collaboration with other Allied Health Professionals, medical teams and other healthcare professionals in acute care and psychosis rehab, and I am grateful to have been nominated for two years in a row for my work within Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at their annual Positive Practice Awards for “describing incredible examples of innovation, partnership, teamwork, commitment and compassion.” I’m also part of an international group of trauma therapists and educators facilitating daily online trauma and resilience sessions to Ukrainians, offering support with practical evidence-based mind-body practices to help relieve stress and worry. My specialty is supporting trauma resolution, and in my quest for professional clinical excellence I have accumulated over 1200 hours of training and studies to help facilitate profound and lasting changes. I have been in private practice since 2020, I’m under ongoing supervision, and I’m registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), first aid trained, fully insured and DBS checked. I belong to a meditation discovery group, we meet regularly online and are guided by a very inspiring teacher. Mindfulness meditation offers me the opportunity to cultivate inner awareness, to let it sink in while being curious about my thoughts and my state of mind, where it wanders and where it lingers, until I find my breath again in its ever-changing flow. I dance 5Rhythms regularly; a form of movement meditation where my chaos and stillness meet in my physical body and have a chance to shake, release, express through a spontaneous dance with nothing set to follow. I am also a student of Wado-Ryu Karate. Training in martial arts offers me the opposite: the set yet alive forms, the boundaries, the discipline, the respect, the confidence. And then there is yoga, never confined by the mat, where my mind, body and soul find their own balance. I’m forever grateful to all my teachers who continue to inspire my practice through deeper understanding and development. Contact Us: info@lindabonavoglia.com Phone: 07951 645474 Website: https://www.lindabonavoglia.com/ |
| The Grumpy Cook The Grumpy Cook is a CIC based in both Milton Keynes and Hastings, now with pop-ups in rural areas of Rother, providing food education, low cost meals and safe environments for the benefit of the entire community. Contact Us: barry@thegrumpycook.co.uk Website: http://thegrumpycook.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegrumpycook/about Phone: 07545 220453 |
| Family Support Work We support children and families through difficult times in their lives including low income and poverty; mental or physical ill health; disability; learning difficulties; school non-attendance and exclusion; bereavement; family break-up and domestic abuse. We help children and parents/carers to resolve problems, develop confidence and resilience and improve relationships. We work closely with schools to support children to stay in mainstream education and do well. FSW also provides food parcels, clothing, household goods and help with winter fuel bills where necessary. Our aim is to support parents as they try to ensure that their children have the best start in life – “A strong family for every child in Sussex” Family Support Work is a faith-motivated charity that provides services to all kinds of families, of all faiths and none. In accordance with Christian values and in partnership with the Diocese of Chichester, we support those in need, rather than passing them by. We seek to strengthen each family we work with, to provide a safe environment for children and give them the best start in life. We have no religious requirement for our staff, volunteers or service-users and we do not evangelise or proselytize. Contact Us: admin@familysupportwork.org.uk Address: Garton House, 22 Stanford Avenue Brighton BN1 6AA Call us: 01273 832963 CEO: Martin Auton-Lloyd 01273 832963 |
Westfield Parish Council 