Parents 1st are pleased to announce our new Stay, Play and Chat Drop-In Sessions for pregnant and new parents in Southend.
Join our friendly, informal drop-in group where you can connect with other Southend parents who truly understand the ups and downs of this stage of life.
Whether you’d like to share your experiences, ask questions, or simply enjoy a cuppa while your baby plays nearby, you’ll find a warm welcome here. Together, we’ll talk openly about the joys and challenges of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.
Come as you are, stay as long as you like, and know that you’ll be met with kindness, understanding, and encouragement. (Older children are also welcome to come along with you).
The Wise Group is offering fully funded, one-to-one Home Energy Advice and Relational Mentoring to help households across England and Wales manage their energy challenges.
With energy costs still high, many families are struggling with bills and winter energy debt. Our team is here to help you or your customers access the right support — and we have a large number of energy vouchers currently available to provide immediate assistance.
We also have mentors who speak a variety of languages, ensuring support is accessible to everyone in our community.
About the HEAT Programme
Our HEAT (Home Energy Advice Team) service provides personalised, ongoing support to help households in energy crisis. Through relational mentoring, we offer independent, holistic advice tailored to each person’s needs.
Our Energy Mentors can help with:
Tackling energy emergencies
Managing fuel debt and related issues
Advocating on your behalf with suppliers and agencies
Accessing grants and energy vouchers
Improving energy efficiency and reducing bills
This service doesn’t just address immediate challenges — it’s designed to help households build long-term resilience and confidence in managing energy costs.
How to Access Support
If you or someone you work with could benefit from this service, please complete the referral form using the link below.
Trauma isn’t always visible, but it can change how someone thinks, feels and acts. Understanding trauma can help us make sure people feel safe and supported.
If you work in a helping profession (like health care, mental health, emergency services, education or youth services), or you simply want to be more trauma-informed, don’t miss Mind in West Essex‘s upcoming workshop.
Trauma & Recovery Awareness helps you understand brain development and how this impacts behaviour and life chances. Topics include:
💙 The impact of trauma
💙 Toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences
💙 Neuroscience research in relation to trauma
💙 Working in a trauma-informed way
💙 How vicarious trauma affects us and those around us
💙 Practical resources for self care for ourselves and those we support.
You’re Invited: Cheese & Wine Business Networking Evening 📅 Tuesday, 11th November 2025 | 🕠 5:30pm – 7:30pm | 📍 The Abbeyfield Society, Waltham Abbey
We’re delighted to invite you to an exclusive Cheese & Wine Business Networking Evening, hosted at The Abbeyfield Society, Waltham Abbey.
Join us for a relaxed and friendly gathering where local business owners and professionals come together to connect, collaborate, and share ideas — all while enjoying a selection of fine cheeses and wines.
This is a fantastic opportunity to: 🧀 Build valuable local connections 🍇 Promote your business in a warm, informal setting 🍷 Meet like-minded professionals passionate about community and growth
Whether you’re looking to grow your network, discover new partnerships, or simply unwind after work, this event promises great company, great conversation, and a welcoming atmosphere.
Event Details: 📍 The Abbeyfield Society, Waltham Abbey, EN9 3DJ 📅 Tuesday, 11th November 2025 🕠 5:30pm – 7:30pm
While RSVP isn’t essential, it helps us plan ahead — ensuring everyone enjoys plenty of nibbles and a perfect pour.
👉 Simply email or contact us on 07353 125111 (calls, WhatsApp, and text messages welcome).
There’s plenty of free parking on site.
We look forward to raising a glass with you and celebrating the spirit of local business together!
Essex County Council is developing a new All-Age Carers Strategy — and we want to hear from you.
As part of our commitment to supporting carers of all ages, this strategy will set out a shared vision and priorities for how carers are supported now and in the future. To make sure it truly reflects the real experiences and needs of carers, we’re inviting unpaid carers to share their views through a public consultation.
A carer is anyone who provides unpaid help, care, or support to a relative, friend, or neighbour who couldn’t manage everyday life without them. We know that caring can be deeply rewarding but also brings challenges — and your insight is vital to shaping how we move forward.
By taking part in the short online survey, carers can help us:
Shape services that reflect carers’ real needs
Improve support for carers across all ages
Raise awareness of the vital role carers play
Influence decisions on policy and funding
Ensure carers’ voices are heard
The consultation is open until 4th November, and every response will help build a more supportive and inclusive system for carers in Essex.
We’d be very grateful if you could share this consultation link across your networks — with staff, community groups, and carers you work with — as well as through newsletters, websites, and social media. The more carers we hear from, the more meaningful and representative the strategy will be.
Together, we can make sure carers’ experiences shape a better future for all.
Every October, Baby Loss Awareness Week brings families and communities together to remember lives lost too soon, raise awareness, and call for better support.
Why it Matters
Sadly, baby loss is more common than many realise:
1 in 5 pregnancies in the UK ends in miscarriage.
In 2023 there were 2,545 stillbirths and 1,933 neonatal deaths in the UK.
A 2023 survey found half of UK adults have been personally affected by pregnancy or baby loss.
In Essex, NHS data shows that families continue to experience losses every month across local maternity units. Behind each number is a grieving family who deserves compassion and support.
Support & Change
Grief from baby loss can have lasting effects, with around 1 in 5 parents experiencing PTSD or prolonged depression after their loss. Support networks, remembrance services, and counselling can make a real difference.
Progress is being made nationally—such as calls for bereavement leave after miscarriage—but community-based support remains vital.
How Essex Can Help
Find support: Families can use www.essexmap.co.uk to discover local groups and services.
Offer support: If your organisation provides help for bereaved families, please add your details to the map—it’s free and ensures no one has to search alone.
Mind in West Essex is looking for a Sanctuary Support Worker (Part-Time) to join our team supporting the mental wellbeing of people experiencing emotional crisis.
📍 Based in Harlow, with ability to travel across West Essex
⏰ 14–28 hours per week on a 4-week rota (7-hour shifts 4pm-11pm across 7 days a week including weekends and bank holidays)
💷 £12.56 per hour (time and a half on public holidays)
This 3-hour session builds an understanding of the importance of fairness and inclusivity in the workplace and wider society.
Understand the difference between equality and equity
Explore intersectionality, privilege, unconscious bias and discrimination
Discuss microaggressions and how they can escalate without intervention
Consider how collective trauma, cultural trauma and racial trauma can impact wellbeing and good mental health
Reflect on how we can create a more inclusive workplace and society
Whether you’re a team leader, HR professional, educator, or simply someone committed to positive change, this training will help you foster fairness in your community or workplace.
This World Mental Health Day (Friday 10 October), our friends at Renew Counselling, in partnership with Chelmsford City Council, will be creating a calm and welcoming space on Chelmsford High Street (outside Barclays) from 10am–4pm.
Everyone is invited to take a moment for their wellbeing and enjoy:
✨ Mindfulness and self-care activities, including mini massages from The Beauty Room ✨ Opportunities to chat about counselling and mental health support ✨ Fundraising to help keep counselling affordable and accessible for all
