We will be giving over our premises two mornings a week for Community Connexions, a drop in service where people can access the help we offer but also make connections and friends amongst themselves. We will be offering refreshments, access to laptops for those without and promoting our Community Connexions Noticeboard. On this people can place cards and their requests ideas on it. For example, interested in fishing? lets get together and form a group/ or interested in learning to crochet, any teachers out there/ like-minded people required for a book club. Basically, a place where people can get into contact and make connections with like-minded people. During the drop in morning itself we will be encouraging interaction, the whole purpose of this is to link people up, build a stronger connected community, improve resilience and also lets not forget peoples mental health. isolation over the last year has had a devastating impact and we are passionate about offsetting this.

What we'll deliver:

• Dedicated Community Connexions mornings facilitated by a Recovery Circle Counsellor
• Buy 3 laptops for general use so that everyone can access the internet.
• Community Connexions Noticeboard open to everyone
• Facilitator always on hand to help, chat and signpost people to relevant services and introduce people
• Facilitator will go out into the community to promote these mornings and encourage attendance

Why it's a great idea:

1. will help individuals who are isolated or have become isolated over the last year especially. they can go to an informal 'coffee morning' to chat, find out information or to access the internet. 2. opportunity to make friends and / or connect with like-minded individuals through the Community Connexions Noticeboard. An easy way to find like-minded people for a hobby you enjoy, access local services or find out if there are any groups for a hobby or interest you'd like to try. 3. access to our addiction/mental health service and our domestic abuse support service Safe Space. This is a slightly less intimidating way of finding out about these workshops and groups. 4. overall this service will benefit the whole community psychosocially, enabling networks to be made, connections strengthened, increased resilience , all this builds a stronger, more empathic, connected community which ultimately leads to happier healthier lives, aspirations and behaviours.

Steps to get it done:

• Planning an Open Day so that as many people as possible know about it
• Holding the Open Day and obtaining feedback and promoting Community Connexions
• Continuing promotion of Community Connexions via social media, social prescribers, local paper and online
• Open day to be held mid may
• Connexions coffee mornings to start the week following the open day
• I would like this to be an ongoing event at The Recovery Circle, with no end date

We liaise with social prescribers at the GP's currently, it would be fantastic to be able to promote the Community Connexions mornings to them, it will help people with anxiety, depression and addiction/mental health issues. Getting a community together and supporting one another is essential in building a healthy, happy community.. we will also promote these connexions mornings at the salvation army, local paper and radio,, health and wellbeing centres and libraries in order let as many people as possible know about this.