ESSEX COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS

THURROCK
Thurrock By Your Side (Thurrock CVS) Referrals / For More Information
01375 389891 / 07415 987427
ruby.summers@thurrockcvs.org
The By Your Side project supports people in Thurrock, often elderly or vulnerable to settle home from hospital with the support of volunteers. The project has really made a difference, especially to those who may not always have family or friends around them to help them following their discharge from hospital.

ESSEX-WIDE (excl. Southend / Thurrock)
Essex Wellbeing Service For Information / Referrals 0300 303 9988
provide.essexwellbeing@nhs.net Service Leads Ellen Van Gemmert and Alex Ryley ellen.vangemmert@nhs.net / aryley@nhs.net Support with alcohol reduction, social isolation, mental health, befriending, social prescribing, parenting, stop smoking and weight management.

ESSEX-WIDE (inc. Southend / Thurrock)
British Red Cross Support At Home and Assisted Discharge Home From Hospital – Covers Southend, Essex and Thurrock 01622 690 011
ilcr_southeastadmin@redcross.org.uk
Operations Manager – Justine Wilsher
07710 387422

DISTRICT COMMUNITY HUBS – WITHAM / BRAINTREE

Witham Community Hub Tina Townsend
01376 617998
info@withamhub.co.uk
office@withamhub.co.uk
tina@absl-safety.co.uk
Braintree – Braintree Office Braintree Library Offices 1 and 2
Fairfield Rd, Braintree, Essex, CM7 3YL
01376 550507 , information@community360.org.uk

DISTRICT COMMUNITY HUBS – BASILDON / BRENTWOOD

Basildon – Happy Hub Eastgate Shopping Centre, Basildon, Essex, SS14 1AE
01268 520785 , admin@motivated-minds.co.uk / carla@motivated-minds.co.uk https://www.motivated-minds.co.uk/ Food support, clothing, furniture, mental health and wellbeing. Basildon, Billericay and Wickford CVS – https://www.bbwcvs.org.uk Brentwood Mutual Aid – https://www.brentwood-mutual-aid.org
Contact – Kat Waterhouse Brentwood CVS – https://brentwoodcvs.org.uk

DISTRICT COMMUNITY HUBS – CHELMSFORD

Ideas Hub Chelmsford – https://www.ideashubchelmsford.org
Edith Miller – 07880 990443
Chelmsford CVS – https://chelmsfordcvs.org.uk
Danbury Volunteer Group – https://www.danburyvolunteers.co.uk
Contact – Mandy Hessing

DISTRICT COMMUNITY HUBS MALDON / CASTLE POINT / SOUTHEND / ROCHFORD

Maldon & District Community Voluntary Service – https://maldoncvs.org.uk
Contact – Sarah Troop
Castle Point Association of Voluntary Services (CAVS) – https://www.cavsorg.uk
Contact – Janis Gibson
Southend SAVS – http://savs-southend.org
Rochford RAVS – https://rravs.org.uk

MUTUAL AID GROUPS AND VARIOUS

Essex Mutual Aid Groups – https://www.mutual-aid.co.uk (Search ‘Essex’) Hoarding Support
Your Living Room CIC – https://www.yourlivingroomcic.co.uk
Home Freedom LTD – https://homefreedom.org
Carers First Essex -Online, Phone & In-Person Support for Unpaid Carers
https://www.carersfirst.org.uk/essex/welcome/
Age Well East – https://agewelleast.org.uk
Rethink Essex Advocacy
0300 790 0559 / essexadvocacy@rethink.org / https://rethinkessexadvocacy.org

Lighthouse Furniture Project – http://lighthousefurniture.org
The Essex Map – https://www.essexmap.co.uk
Essex Floating Support Service – To access this service, visit the ’Outreach Support’ section of the Peabody website at https://www.peabody.org.uk/news-views/2021/jul/essex-outreach Or 0800 288 8883 / efsco-ordinator@peabody.org.uk
Service Manager – jade.tagg@peabody.org.uk
Essex Community Transport Schemes – https://www.agespace.org
Fire Safety Checks – https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk

ESSEX HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS CONTACTS

Braintree – Donna Goodchild – Housing Options Manager – Donna. Goodchild@Braintree.gov.uk – 01376 552525 Ext. 2147
Basildon – Phill Warren – Housing Solutions Manager – phil.warren@basildon.gov.uk – 01268 208197
Brentwood – Angela Abbott – Housing Services Manager – angela.abbott@brentwood.gov.uk – 01277 312500
Castle Point – Veronica Jackson – Housing Options Manager – VJackson@castlepoint.gov.uk – 01268 882324
Chelmsford – Alison Hawkins – Housing Solutions Manager – Alison.Hawkins@chelmsford.gov.uk – 01245 606336
Colchester – Tracey Brushett – Housing Options Manager – Tracey.Brushett@CBHomes.org.uk – 01206 508097
Epping Forest – Danielle Blake – Homelessness Team Manager – dblake@eppingforestdc.gov.uk – 01992 564207
Harlow – Lisa Whitting – Housing Options & Advice Manager – Lisa.Whiting@Harlow.gov.uk – 01279 446371
Maldon – Helen Greengrass – Senior Specialist Co-ordinator Housing – Helen.greengrass@maldon.gov.uk – 01621 857373
Rochford – Jeanette Hurrell – Housing Options Team Leader – jeanette.hurrell@rochford.gov.uk – 01702 318 069
Southend on Sea – Olivia Brown – Head of Housing Policy & Strategy – oliviabrown@southend.gov.uk – 01702 534144
Tendring – Cathy Low – Housing Solutions & Allocations Manager – clow@tendringdc.gov.uk – 01255 686435
Thurrock – Ben Tovey – Strategic Lead (Housing Solutions) – BTovey@thurrock.gov.uk
Uttlesford – Judith Snares – Housing and Wellbeing Manager – JSnares@Uttlesford.gov.uk – 01799 510671

COST OF LIVING SUPPORT FOOD

Citizens Advice Essex – https://citizensadviceessex.org.uk
The Essential Living Fund may be able to help in short-term, one-off emergencies with a food and fuel award. You can apply on the following link for Southend, Thurrock and the Essex County Council area.
https://www.southend.gov.uk/extra-financial-help/essential-living-fund Find a Trussell Trust foodbank.
https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/find-a-foodbank/ The Salvation Army also offers emergency assistance to people in need. https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/budget-and-debt advice/emergencyassistance

FOODBANKS – EPPING FOREST

Epping Forest Foodbank, 38c Chigwell Lane, Oakwood Industrial
Estate Loughton ,Essex IG10 3NY
0300 102 9808
https://eppingforest.foodbank.org.uk
info@eppingforest.foodbank.org.uk

FOODBANKS – RAINHAM

Rainham Foodbank
First Floor, The Mick Fury House , Lowen Road Rainham Essex ,RM13 8HT
01708 397484
https://rainham.foodbank.org.uk
info@rainham.foodbank.org.uk

FOODBANKS – CHELMSFORD

Chelmsford Foodbank (Postal address only)
PO Box 9174, Chelmsford ,CM1 9AE
NOTE: All locations are closed on Bank (Public) Holidays.
07512 574542
https://chelmsford.foodbank.org.uk
info@chelmsford.foodbank.org.uk

FOODBANKS – SOUTHEND

Southend Foodbank Office

,Friendship House 484
Southchurch Road, Southend on Sea ,SS1 2QA
07456 426203 for general enquiries
07714 425102 for anything warehouse-related, e.g. donations
https://southend.foodbank.org.uk
info@southend.foodbank.org.uk

FOODBANKS – BRENTWOOD

Brentwood Foodbank
Doddinghurst Road Community Church 56-60
Brentwood ,CM15 9EH
01277 224528
https://brentwood.foodbank.org.uk
doddroadchurch@outlook.com

FOODBANKS – THURROCK

Thurrock Foodbank
Thurrock Christian Fellowship 2-4 ,
Chase Road ,Corringham, Essex ,SS17 7QH
01375 416200
https://thurrock.foodbank.org.uk
info@thurrock.foodbank.org.uk

FOODBANKS – BASILDON

Basildon Foodbank
Pitsea Leisure Centre, Northlands Pavement
Pitsea, Essex, SS13 3DU
07424 660 862
https://basildon.foodbank.org.uk
info@basildon.foodbank.org.uk

FOODBANKS – HARLOW

Harlow Foodbank
Distribution Centre #1,
ST PAUL’S CHURCH HARLOW
College Square, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1LS
01279 724515
For vouchers, contact Harlow Community Hub – 01279 927005
https://mrct.org.uk
harlowfoodbank@mrct.org.uk

FOODBANKS – COLCHESTER

Colchester Foodbank 3
Tollgate Retail Park, (opposite McDonalds, between Currys and B&M)
Tollgate West, Colchester, CO3 8RG
01206 621998
https://colchester.foodbank.org.uk
info@colchester.foodbank.org.uk

FOODBANKS – UTTLESFORD

Uttlesford Food Bank
Back of Stansted House
(Behind Posh Wash), Shire Hill, Saffron Walden, CB11 3AQ
https://uttlesford.foodbank.org.uk

COST OF LIVING SUPPORT – FOOD CYCLE

‘We are FoodCycle, and our vision is to make food poverty, loneliness and food waste a thing of the past for every community.’ ‘We connect communities, reducing loneliness and food poverty – working with
thousands of volunteers and surplus food to help everyone who needs us.’ ‘By creating welcoming spaces for people from all walks of life to meet, eat and have conversations, and by offering a weekly telephone Check-in and Chat, we are supporting people’s health and mental wellbeing.’ https://foodcycle.org.uk/who-we-are

COST OF LIVING SUPPORT – FOOD

Brentwood and Hutton Parish – https://www.huttonparish.com/dailybread ‘We warmly invite you to come to your Community Kitchen if you could use a little help in providing for yourself or your family the delicious, nutritious food that everyone deserves. You don’t need to be referred.’ Southend – https://www.svp.org.uk/st-vincents-southend ‘St Vincent’s Centre, Southend-on-Sea is a busy community hub supporting vulnerable people in the community with foodbank services, hot meals, in and
outreach support, and household items and clothing.’

COST OF LIVING SUPPORT – FREE / CHEAP FOOD APPS

‘Too Good To Go aims to reduce food waste and save you money at the same time. It hooks you up with local cafés, bakeries and restaurants which have leftover food at the end of the day, and lets you buy it at a discounted rate.’ https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/en-gb ‘OLIO connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. This could be food nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away.’ https://olioex.com/about/

COST OF LIVING SUPPORT – SOCIAL SUPERMARKETS

Basildon Social Supermarket https://ukdaily.news/london/new-social-supermarket-in-basildon-offeringgroceries- at-reduced-prices-640.html Tendring Social Supermarket https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/19975035.essexs-first-communitysupermarket- help-feed-low-income-families-tendring

COST OF LIVING SUPPORT ENERGY BILLS

SIX WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR ENERGY BILLS (BBC NEWS)

USE AN AIR FRYER OR MICROWAVE INSTEAD OF AN OVEN

Ovens can be an inefficient way of cooking as they involve heating a relatively large space. Using a microwave, pressure cooker or air fryer instead could save money. For example, since 1 October it costs 3p to heat up a frozen ready meal in a 800W (watts) microwave for seven minutes. It would cost 40p for 35 minutes in a 2000W oven, energy efficiency website Sust-it estimates. https://www.sust-it.net/energy-calculator.php

SWITCH TO LED LIGHTBULBS

Lighting makes up 11% of the average UK household’s energy consumption, according to The Energy Saving Trust and Which? Switching to LED bulbs can make a big difference. A household using a dozen 40W incandescent or halogen bulbs for four hours a day could spend about £238 per year, Sust-it estimates. LED equivalents would cost £41.70 – a saving of £196.30 a year. LED bulbs can cost more, but have a longer lifespan and will save money over time. https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/cutting-your-energy-bills/article/how-tosave- on-your-energy-bill/10-ways-to-save-on-energy-bills-aX2RS8b8llMR
https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/lighting

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CENTRAL HEATING

Set your thermostat at the lowest comfortable temperature (often 18 to 21C). Turning your thermostat down just one degree could cut bills by about £145 a year, the Energy Saving Trust says. This is based on a semi-detached house with the heating on between 7am-9am and 4pm-11pm on weekdays and between 7am-11am at weekends. In smaller homes, like a terraced house or a flat, the savings will be lower.

INSULATE AND DRAUGHT-PROOF YOUR HOME

If your home is poorly insulated it will lose heat more easily and be harder to keep warm. Insulation and draught-proofing to stop heat escaping around doors and windows helps trap heat. Professional raught proofing might cost about £225, the Energy Saving Trust says. However, it can save about £125 a year – based on a typical semi-detachedhome.

MAKE BETTER USE OF APPLIANCES

Washing machines and tumble dryers can be energy hungry, according to Emily Seymour. But there are ways to use them efficiently, she says. Use any eco settings and turn your machine down – particularly if clothes aren’t that dirty. Washing clothes at 30C and using one less cycle a week could save £28 a year, the Energy Saving Trust says.

TAKE SHORTER SHOWERS

A typical household with gas heating will see about 12% of its energy bill used to heat water for showers, baths and taps, the Energy Saving Trust says. However, if you have a power shower the saving could be less as you’ll use more hot water. Meanwhile, cutting your shower time from eight to four minutes could save £70 a year. This is based on five showers a week.

COST OF LIVING SUPPORT COOKING APPLIANCE USAGE COSTS

HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO RUN DIFFERENT COOKING APPLIANCES

Electric cooker
Cost per day to run: 87p
Cost per week to run: £6.09
Cost per month to run: £26.38
Cost per year to run: £316.54
Dual cooker (part electric, part gas)
Cost per day to run: 72p
Cost per week to run: £5.08
Cost per month to run: £22
Cost per year to run: £264.03

Gas cooker
Cost per day to run: 33p
Cost per week to run: £2.32
Cost per month to run: £10.17
Cost per year to run: £120.83
Slow cooker
Cost per day to run: 16p
Cost per week to run: £2.32
Cost per month to run: £10.07
Cost per year to run: £120.83

Air fryer
Cost per day to run: 14p
Cost per week to run: £1.01
Cost per month to run: £4.40
Cost per year to run: £52.74
Microwave
Cost per day to run: 8p
Cost per week to run: 58p
Cost per month to run: £2.50
Cost per year to run: £30.02

Households who primarily cook with an oven could save up to £604 a year by using more energy-efficient cooking methods, a study has found. Researchers calculated the energy consumption of 83 appliances and compared the running costs with the cheapest alternative. They found that the most energy-intensive cooking appliance is an electric oven, which typically costs 87p per day to run or £316 a year. However, a microwave costs just 8p per day – representing a potential saving of £287 per year. An air fryer would cost just £52 a year, a saving of £264.

The research by energy supplier Utilita also looked at how cooking methods can slash power consumption by up to 90 per cent and save an additional £317 a year. Batch cooking can bank £158 a year, using the correct sized pan with a lid saves £72, simmering rather than boiling £68 and not overfilling the kettle £19. SOURCE – https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/energy-capcrisis- uk-oven-microwave-b2153180.html

COST OF LIVING SUPPORT ESSEX SUSTAINABLE WARMTH SCHEME

ESSEX SUSTAINABLE WARMTH SCHEME

If you’re an Essex homeowner with a household income below £30,000, you may be eligible for up to £10,000 of work to make energy efficient improvements to your home through the Sustainable Warmth Scheme. This was previously called the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Scheme. Improvements covered by the scheme include insulation, heating, excluding gas and oil boilers, heating controls, ventilation, hot water systems, solar thermal, solar PV, and lighting. The funding covers the entire cost of the improvements, up to £10,000. An application form is available at https://surveys.est.org.uk/s/GreenHomesGrantSchemeLAD

To be eligible for the scheme, you must own a home in Essex that is currently rated as Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) D, E, F or G, and have a household income below £30,000.
If you have a household income above £30,000, you may still be eligible if you or someone in your household receives: Armed Forces Independence Payment – Attendance Allowance Carer’s Allowance – Child Tax Credit – Constant Attendance Allowance Disability Living Allowance – Guaranteed Pension Credit Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance – Income Support Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit – Personal Independence Payment Severe Disablement Allowance – Universal Credit War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement -Working Tax Credit

Funding is also available for private landlords, local authority-owned properties and social housing, however a 33% contribution from the landlord is required and the maximum funding per property is £5,000.