Families Growing Together

Families Growing Together

The Families Growing Together project offers families outdoor experiences at the Trust Links community garden sites in Shoeburyness and Westcliff. Drop-in sessions are available on Mondays and Fridays across both sites. The sessions are a great chance to meet other families in the local community, gain peer support, pick up some gardening tips, and share the joy of planting, harvesting and nurturing fruit and vegetables with your children. There is also a range of other activities, including arts and crafts, sensory play and outdoor play, and healthy eating and cookery sessions.

Dads’ Club on Saturdays alternate between both sites. Dads and children can have fun with arts, crafts or just enjoy the community garden space. It’s also a great chance to meet other Dads from across the community.

Trust Links are in the process of developing plans for future support for families with children. This will include the development of Forest School activities and other outdoor activities at their purpose-built therapeutic gardens. We are pleased that the learning from the project and the evaluation undertaken by the University of Essex can support the future development of the service, which will continue to benefit families with children in Southend.

From April the Families Growing Together project will incorporate Forest Schools ideas into other activities, providing a positive learning environment for children and families.

Stay informed on Trust Links family support at https://www.trustlinks.org/

Trust Links will continue providing the Growing Together projects, Recovery College, Wellbeing Hub and other projects for children and families: Bouldering Together, Youth Links, Learning Together, Dig It Youth How we can help – Trust Links
There are no other services locally which offer a therapeutic garden space to support mental health in this way. There are however other avenues for mental health support, including:

Southend, Essex and Thurrock CAMHS

https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/set-camhs/

South East and Central Essex Mind

https://www.secemind.org.uk/

Affinity Programme

https://essexfamilywellbeing.co.uk/services/affinity-programme/

NHS Talking Therapies

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/

If you have any questions or concerns around family services in Southend, please contact City Family’s Information and Guidance Service where their Navigators will be able to help.

Call: 01702 844188
WhatsApp/Live Chat: 07507 242398
Email: yfsouthend@cityfamily.org.uk
or visit https://www.cityfamily.org.uk/