Programme Information

Alzheimers support

Alzheimers Society
National 0845 300 0336 (8.30-6.30pm weekdays) / www.alzheimers.org.uk
Chelmsford (Mid Essex) 01245 260911
Colchester 01206 573708
London 020 742 33500

Ask Sal

Keeping adults safe across Essex 0808 80 10 345
www.asksal.org.uk

Aspergers support

Aspergers Parents Support Group 01206 240931
SAFE - Aspergers Support Line 01621 842734
Basildon 01268 454968
Colchester 01206 240931
Southend 01702 343137

Autism support

National Autistic Society 0207 833 22 99
Autism Anglia 01206 577678 / info@autism-anglia.org.uk
Aspergers & Autistic Society 0845 070 4004

Benefits advice

Benefit Enquiry Line 0800 88 22 00 (disabled benefits advice)

Cancer support

Cancer Helpline Back-up
Freephone 0808 800 1234
National 0207 739 2280 / www.cancerbackup.org.uk

Macmillan Cancer Helpline 0808 808 2020
Macmillan Finance Line 0800 500 800

Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity 01245 463633

C.A.P.E. - Southend offering home support 01702 434421

Carers support

Basildon Carers Centre 01268 280441

Carers UK National 0808 808 7777
Carers UK Barking and Dagenham 0208 593 4422
Carers Uttlesford 21371 875810
Carers Forum for Essex 01255 474410
Carers Forum (Southend) 01702 393933
Colchester Care Network 01206 792777

Contact a Family 0808 808 3555
Supports families who are caring for children with disabilities and special needs who are under 18.

CRESS - 01621 859333
Elderly Sitting Service for over 65's

Crossroads Caring for Carers
A major charity providing support in the home and help for the housebound:
Head Office 01788 573653 / 0845 450 0350 / www.crossroads.org.uk
Barking & Dagenham 0208 984 7689
Braintree 01376 320572
Brentwood 01277 201789
Castle Point 01268 681720
Colchester 01206 500209
Epping Forest & Harlow 01992 572557
Rochford 01268 681720
Romford & Havering 01708 757242
Saffron Walden 01799 598070
Tendring Area 01255 860960
Thurrock 01375 398475
Uttlesford 01799 513496

Essex Respite Care Association 01245 353855
Carers for people with mental health difficulties

Maldon & Chelmsford Carers 01621 851640

North East Essex Carers Support 01255 474410
(Braintree, Colchester & Tendring)

Princes Royal Trust for Carers 0844 800 4361 / www.carers.org

Redbridge Carers Support Services 0208 514 6251

RE-THINK Carers Support (Mental Health)
Hazel Ruane 01245 250375
Maureen Murphy 01277 353414
Irene Peake 01621 850897
Braintree 01376 349549
Southend 01268 772039

Uttlesford Carers 01371 875 810

www.entitledto.co.uk

www.carersonline.org.uk

Citizen's Advice Bureau

National 0870 126 4010
Basildon 0808 44 826 9687
Billericay 01277 651 858
Braintree & Halstead 0870 126 4065
Brentwood 08444 775 991
Cambridge 0844 848 7979
Castle Point 01268 511889
Chelmsford 01245 257144 / 01245 354720
Colchester 0870 121 2033
East Hertfordshire 08448 489 700
Epping 01992 574989
Harlow Welfare Rights & Advice 01279 424 400
Loughton 0208 502 0031
Maldon 01621 841195
Rayleigh 01268 770782
Rochford 01702 545552
Southend 01702 610610
Tendring & Harwich 0870 751 0952
Thurrock 0870 126 4034
Saffron Walden 08444 775 986
Waltham Abbey 01992 710353
Wickford 01268 732094
C.A.B. WITHAM 0870 126 4065

www.adviceguide.org.uk

Diabetes support

Diabetes UK 01245 269598

DIAL - Basildon, Southend, Canvey 0845 4503001/2

Disability support

Essex Disabled People's Association Helpline 0844 412 1770

Essex Disability 08444 121 771

Dunmow Disabled Club 01371 872789

Disabled Living Foundation
Website www.dfl.org.uk
Helpline 0845 130 9177
Switchboard 0207 289 6111
Disability advice for older people - equipment and independent living

Lin Berwick Trust 01787 372343
Holidays for people with a disability and their carers

REMAP
National 0845 1300 456
Essex 01621 855354
Design and make objects for people with disabilities

Trevanian House, Cornwall 01208 814 903 / www.trev.co.uk
Holidays and care for adults with learning disabilities

Divorced and Separated clubs

Mid-Essex 01376 321051

Divorced and bereaved clubs

Way Ahead Group 01245 222717

Domestic Violence support

Women's Aid: Chelmsford 01245 493114
                     Colchester 01206 500585
                     Basildon 01268 581591
                     Braintree 01376 321720
                     Southend 01702 300006

Mankind 01823 334244 / www.mankind.org.uk
Help and advice for male victims of domestic violence

Police Domestic Violence Unit 01245 491491 / 491212

Heal - adult survivors of any kind of childhood abuse 01206 505560 / toni.heal@yahoo.com / www.healabuse.com

Drug abuse support

Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service 01702430084
Essex Young Peoples Drug & Alcohol Service 01245 493311
Drug drop-in centre, Canvey Youth Project 01268 683431

Dyslexia support

British Dyslexia Association 0208 966 2677
DYSLEXIA institute 01245 259656 (Children with reading difficulties)

Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders Association BEAT
Adult Helpline 0845 634 1414 (8.30am-8.30pm, weekdays)
Youthline 0845 634 7650 (4pm-6.30pm weekdays)
Text-phone Service 01603 753322 (8.30am-8.30pm weekdays)
Website: www.b-eat.co.uk

Elderly support

Age Concern
National Information line 0800 00 99 66
Essex Home Support Service 01245 505842
Chelmsford 01245 264499
Colchester 01206 368420
Basildon 01268 558508
Braintree 01376 341465
Castle Point 01268 638417
Maldon 01621 842240
Rochford 01702 200195
Southend 01702 215780/215781
Tendring 01255 479377
Thurrock 01375 392157

Guiness Trust, Chelmsford - 01245 392121
Can help the elderly and disabled with major and minor repairs, especially for those on low incomes. Also run a garden scheme.

Help the Aged 0808 800 6565

Independent Age 0207 605 4200

Epilepsy

Tendring Young Persons Epilepsy Support:

Support network to help young people with epilepsy to gain confidence in themselves and improve their quality of life. The group meets every first Wednesday of the month at Colbayns Community Centre in Clacton.

Contract Tricia on 07810 311033.

Essex Blind Charity

Weekly drop-in resource centres in Clacton, Colchester, Chelmsford and Braintree and a new monthly centre opeining in Brentwood in Jan 2009.

Tel:  01206 563072

Essex Hospices

Farleigh 01245 457300
Fairhaven 01702 344879
Little Haven Children's 01702 556645
St Luke's 01268 524973
St Francis 01708 753319
St Helena 01206 791740
St Clare 01279 773700

Family support

Family Support, Clacton 01255 432132

Grandparents Federation 01279 444964 / 01279 428040
Help for people who have not seen their grandchildren for sometime

General Health

Ataxia UK Ipswich and Colchester Support Group - 01473 621604
Breast Screening - Lady McAdden - 01702 343288
Breathing difficulties - Breathe Easy - 0845 505020
British Heart Foundation 0207 935 0185
Lupus UK 01708 731251, auto-immune disease
National blood service centre 0845 711 711 / www.blood.co.uk
NHS Direct 0845 46 47

Housing advice

Maldon District Emergency Housing 01621 875820 / (Out of hours 01621 854477)

Huntington's disease

Regional Care Advisor for Essex: Alison Heavey - 01255 823088
Email: alison_heavey@hda.org.uk

Colchester & District 24 hour Helpline - 01255 432551

Local Government

DirectGov www.direct.gov.uk

Meal services

Tiptree 01621 816963
Private company delivering frozen foods in Essex and Suffolk. Hot meals with a 15-mile radius of Tiptree, 365 days of the year.

Mental Health support

Interact 0845 257 9159

Depression Alliance 0845 123 2320
Essex 01621 740583  
Website www.depressionalliance.org

Manic Depression Fellowship 020 7793 2600 / www.mdf.org.uk

MIND 08457 660 163 (9.15-5.15 weekdays) / www.mind.org.uk

No Panic 0808 808 0545 (10am-10pm weekdays)

OCD Action (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) 0207 226 4000 / www.ocdavtion.org.uk

Association of Post Natal Illness 0207 386 0868 (10pm-2pm, Mon-Fri) / www.apni.org

Rethink (Schizophrenia) 0208 974 6814 (10am-3pm weekdays)

Sane/Saneline 0845 767 8000 (Noon-2am) / www.sane.org.uk

SAD Association (Seasonal Affective Disorder) 01903 814942
                                                  www.sada.org.uk

Self Harm Alliance (SHA) 01242 578820 (Weds-Sun 7-8pm) / www.selfharmalliance.org

VITALISE 0845 345 1972 / www.wft.org.uk
Holidays for the disabled and their carers

MS/ME support

Charms 01245 461212
Multiple Sclerosis/ME support/Stress Counselling

Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre, Colchester 0800 783 0518

Parkinson's Disease support

Parkinson's Disease Society 0808 800 0303
Parkinson's Disease Foundation 01371 850342

Premature Baby support

BLISS 0500 618 140 / 01245 290207

Essex Social Services

Essex Adult Social Care 0845 603 7630
Essex Children Social Care 0845 603 7627
Essex Out of Hours emergency number 0845 606 1212
E-mail essdirect@essexcc.gov.uk

Southend-on-Sea 01702 215 000
Thurrock 01375 652 865 / 01375 652 868

Samaritans

National 0845 790 9090
Basildon & Thurrock 0845 790 9090
Chelmsford 01245 357357
Colchester & Tendring 01206 561234
Harlow 0845 790 9090
Havering 01708 740 000
Redbridge 0208 553 9900
Southend 0845 790 9090
Waltham Forest 0208 520 9191

Stroke support

Stroke Association (National) 0845 303 3100 (Mon-Fri, 10-4pm)
Stroke Club Helpline 01621 891007
Stroke Family Support 01621 725302

Community transport

Dial-a-Ride
Chelmsford 01245 280732
Southend 01702 215666

Braintree Community Transport 01376 327357
Harlow Community Transport 01279 446855
Tendring Community Transport 01255 436962
Uttlesford Community Transport 01371 875787

Maldon District Emergency Housing 01621 875820 / Out of hrs no 01621 854477
(Dealing with homeless, fire and flooding)

Victim Support

Victim Support Scheme: 0845 4565 995

Visual Impairment support

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) 0845 766 99 99

Pathfinders blind club 01268 551248
Tues 9am-2.30pm, Fri 12.30-3.30pm

Pavis Foundation blind resource centre 01268 522817

Young People

Childline
0800 11 11
0800 400 222 (text phone)
Website: www.childline.org.uk

National Children's Home (NCH) 08457 626 579 (9am-5pm weekdays)

Young Carers Development Officer for Essex 01268 554 311

Young Minds 0800 018 2138 (Mon-Fri 10am-1pm, Tues-Thurs 1pm-4pm)

If you would like more information please call the BBC Essex Helpline on 01245 348348 of email essex.helpline@bbc.co.uk