Listed below you will find links and contact details to local and national groups and organisations that can provide help and support.
Please note we are continuing to work on adding more information.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Abortion Advice
A service provided by MSI – a leading provider of sexual and reproductive health services in the UK.
MSI Choices Brighton and Hove Abortion and Vasectomy Clinic MSI Choices Hastings Abortion Clinic (Community Treatment Centre)
Addiction Support
STAR Drug and Alcohol Service – East Sussex
Drugs – help for those who are using drugs such as opiates, cocaine, cannabis, benzodiazepines, ketamine, MDMA, steroids and amphetamine. Offering one-to-one or group work, substitute prescribing, detox and rehab programmes.
Alcohol – tailored help for those who are using alcohol. Offering one-to-one or group work, substitute prescribing, detox and rehab programmes. Deliver weekly service in Seaford.
Adoption Support
Advocacy
“POhWER help people who, because of disability, illness, social exclusion and other challenges, find it difficult to express their views or get the support they need. Their mission is to empower people to have a voice and make a real difference to their lives. We do this by speaking for them when they can’t and supporting them to speak for themselves when they can. They are a charity and the advocacy, information and advice services they provide are free, independent and confidential. As an independent organisation they are separate from the government, local councils and the NHS and always put the wishes and needs of the people we work with first.
Help hub – open Monday – Friday 8am – 6pm (excluding bank holidays)”
The Advocacy People believe in a society where; people feel in control of their lives and are confident to speak up and people who can’t speak up for themselves have someone in their corner to speak for them.
Their mission is to: help anybody that needs independent support to speak up; delivery quality and innovation in advocacy through our practice; improve people’s lives individually and collectively through putting their case to policymakers.
Animal Welfare
East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS)
For all rescue and wildlife advice please contact WRAS’s duty co-ordinator on 0300-10-26-999 (24hrs for emergency calls or 10am-5pm for non-emergency calls and advice).
Please leave a message on the answer phone and we will attempt to return urgent calls within 15 minutes, during busy times this is not always possible. Please listen carefully to the message on the answer phone and follow any instructions given.
Eastbourne Adoption Centre, there are lots of lovely cats all patiently awaiting their forever homes. If you’re interested in adopting a cat from us please take a look at the website If you think you could be the #PurrfectMatch for one of these lovely moggies, please fill out a contact form located on your chosen cat’s profile page.
01323 440101
eastbourne@cats.org.uk
People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA)
Every day, thousands of loving pet owners struggle to pay for the veterinary care of their four-legged friends, through no fault of their own. PDSA keeps people and pets together by providing a lifeline to owners who are experiencing financial hardships and unable to afford veterinary treatment. With your support, we can help those struggling most get the life-saving veterinary care their pet desperately needs.
01273 566595
Royal Society for the Provention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)
9am-5pm every day except Christmas Day & Boxing Day (closed). Please leave an answerphone message if they are unable to answer the phone.
01424 752121
B
Befriending
Our befriending service for East Sussex residents who are aged over 55 and feel isolated. The service involves a weekly call and lasts up to 26 weeks, although there may be specific occasions where a physical meet up will be appropriate and available. A key element of what we want to achieve with this service is to support the client to become better integrated into their community and ultimately less reliant on this service as they will no longer feel isolated.
01273 476704
befriending@ageukeastsussex.org.uk
Omega is a registered charity dedicated to reducing social isolation and loneliness. We offer Chatterbox, a free telephone befriending service and Letterbox, a free penpal befriending service.
Chatterbox is a free telephone befriending service for socially isolated and lonely people. Our clients are carefully matched to DBS-checked volunteer befrienders, with whom they exchange supportive, friendly phone calls. They chat about their lives, families and interests.
Letterbox is a free penpal befriending service for socially isolated and lonely people. Our clients are carefully matched to volunteer befrienders, with whom they exchange supportive, friendly letters. They share stories about their lives, families and interests.
01743 245 088
info@omega.uk.net
Reading Friends @ Seaford Library
Delivered in partnership with the Reading Agency, Reading Friends brings people together to read, share stories, meet new friends and have fun. We use reading – whether books, magazines, newspapers, or anything else – to start everyone chatting.
Reading Friends Groups meet on a regular basis in libraries to talk about reading as well as anything else that interests them. You don’t need to read anything before or at the session and everyone is welcome so come along, meet new people and share stories together.
Seaford Library – meets every Thursday 11.30am-12.30pm
The Silver Line Helpline run by Age UK is a free, 24-hour telephone service for older people across the UK.
We offer friendship, conversation, and support for people aged 55 or over, especially those who may be experiencing feelings of loneliness and isolation.
0800 4 70 80 90
Time to Talk Befriending are a relationship centred befriending service based in East Sussex. They specialise in supporting older people to overcome loneliness through a range of activities; including one-to-one befriending, group befriending signposting services, postal outreach, chaplaincy, and seasonal events, such as Holiday at Home and Thinking of You at Christmas.
01273 737710
info@tttb.org.uk
Bereavement Support
Bereavement Care is a free service designed to help and support people struggling to deal with bereavement. They are committed and passionate about helping you to help yourself in the short, medium and long term.
0808 169 1922
info@thebereavementcentre.co.uk
Cruse Bereavement Support, East Sussex
Cruse Bereavement Care is the leading national charity for bereaved people, offering face-to-face, group, telephone, email and website support. They provide support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies, and work to enhance society’s care of bereaved people.
They have a Free phone national helpline and local services throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our services are provided by trained volunteers and are confidential and free.
0808 808 1677 (National Helpline)
01273 234007 (Brighton)
01323 642942 (Eastbourne)
Lines are open Mondays and Fridays 9:30am to 5pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 9:30 to 8pm
helpline@cruse.org.uk
Hope Again is the youth website of Cruse Bereavement Support. It is a safe place where you can learn from other young people, how to cope with grief, and feel less alone.
Here you will find information about our services, a listening ear from other young people and advice for any young person dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Hope Again provides somewhere to turn to when someone dies.
Lewes Bereavement Circle
A free bereavement support group in Lewes. Held Wednesday afternoons at Lewes House of Friendship.
abisaunderscounselling@gmail.com
Lewes House of Friendship, 208 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2NS
The Bereavement Journey
Is a seven session series of films and discussion groups that gently guide people bereaved at any time through the most common aspects of grief and bereavement, enabling them to process the implications for themselves and discern next steps.
This is provided from a Christian perspective.
Hosted by Life Church, Seaford. For more details please contact Carolyn & Brian Slingsby.
07770 725807
slingsbys22@gmail.com
Is run by the bereaved for the bereaved, offering face to face and on line support for a wide range of bereavements.
hello@thegoodgrieftrust.org
C
Cost-of-Living Support
East Sussex County Council have created helpful information and resources for “cost of living support”.
Citizens Advice 1066 – Energy Advice Form
Citizens Advice 1066 have a dedicated energy advice team ready to help you make savings on your energy bills, get access to energy efficiency measures and low carbon technology, and keep your home cosy. We can assist with understanding energy bills, negotiating with energy suppliers, learning about energy efficiency and renewable energy, applying for grants to improve your home, and fuel vouchers for crisis situations.
Please click the link below to complete the form to request energy advice. You can use this form to ask for advice for yourself, or to refer another person providing you have their consent to do so:
If you would prefer to speak to us by telephone, please call 0800 145 6879.
Counselling
You can self refer to this free service. It is preferred that you do this via their website.
0300 00 30 130
spnt.healthinmind@nhs.net
This is a low cost / no cost service that works out how much you can contribute from your income. All counsellors working in our affordable service are either qualified or in the later stages of their training and have been carefully chosen because of the quality of their training and experience. The counsellors in our service work voluntarily, they and are not paid for this work. They are DBS checked. We offer up to twelve, 50-minute, weekly, counselling sessions delivered by phone or over zoom, or when Government and BACP guidelines permit, in person in Newhaven, Hailsham, Lewes and Eastbourne.
01273 519108
counselling@sussexcommunity.org.uk
D
Dementia Support
Forget Me Not Memory Care
Working in partnership with Seafriends, St Peter’s has launched a community Memory cafe. A safe, welcoming place to meet others experiencing memory loss, whether diagnosed or not, and their carers. Staffed with volunteers, offering cake, fresh tea and a place for companionship and conversation. Every Friday morning from 10-12 noon in the St Peter’s Chapel Rooms.
Dementia Support Service East Sussex (including Alzheimers)
Delivered by ESCC, The Dementia Support Service covers all of East Sussex. It offers information, advice and support tailored to your needs. Staff will work with you to develop a plan that reflects your health and wellbeing needs. This might include a financial health check.
0345 60 80 191
Music for the Memory
Music for the Memory is a charity based in East Sussex that supports those living with dementia or memory loss, whilst also supporting their carers. We provide fun, FREE weekly singing sessions for those with memory issues including the elderly and those living with dementia. We are not a choir and no singing experience is necessary. Our sessions include a warm welcome, physical and vocal warm-up, and songs from our MFTM Songbooks, sessions are approximately 60 minutes. We operate face-to-face sessions at two centres in Battle, East Sussex. The groups attract between 20-40 local people to the venues. The sessions last 1 1/2 to 2 hours and include a refreshment break. We also offer online sessions via Zoom.
07545 309 200
enquiries@musicforthememory.net
Support Forum by the Alzheimer’s Society
Dementia Support Forum is a helpful online community where anyone who is affected by dementia can receive valuable support. It’s free, open day or night, and can be accessed online. Our volunteers all have personal experience of caring for people with dementia. They help to welcome new members, point people toward useful resources and provide on-going support for the service.
The Young Dementia Network is an online influencing community working collaboratively to improve lives. Launched in 2016 and driven by first-hand expertise and experience, the Network is now hosted by Dementia UK. People living with young onset dementia and their families are at its heart.
youngdementianetwork@dementiauk.org
We support, advocate and campaign for dementia carers so that no-one feels isolated, invisible or alone. Dementia Carers Count is a national charity which provides support to people caring for someone living with dementia. Alongside carers, we campaign for changes and support needed to stop dementia carers feeling overwhelmed, invisible and alone.
0800 652 1102
info@dementiacarers.org.uk
Dementia UK are a specialist dementia nurse charity. Their nurses, known as Admiral Nurses, provide free, life-changing support and advice to anyone affected by dementia. When things get challenging or difficult for people with dementia and their families, Admiral Nurses work alongside them. They give the compassionate one-to-one support, guidance and practical solutions people need, and that can be hard to find elsewhere. Admiral Nurses are continually trained, developed and supported by Dementia UK. Families that have their support have someone truly expert and caring by their side. The free, confidential Admiral Nurse dementia helpline provides information, advice and support with any aspect of dementia. Our helpline is open Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm; every day except 25th December.
Helpline: 0800 888 6678
helpline@dementiauk.org
Information line: 020 8036 5400
info@dementiauk.org
E
TBC
G
Groups
Art and Crafting Groups – Hilcrest Community Centre
This centre in Newhaven runs a wide variety of creative groups and classes. Please visit the website to see what is currently running.
01273 512 376
info@hillcrestcentre.co.uk
Art and Crafting Groups – Knit and Natter @ Chyngton Methodist Church
You are welcome to join our group every Thursday at 2pm for Knitting & nattering. Refreshments provided.
07952 287808
welcome@chyngtonmethodistchurch.co.uk
Art and Crafting Groups – Sew Social
This mixed crafting group is hosted by Seafriends.
This is a new group wanting to share and learn knitting, crochet, sewing skills etc and use it to influence change and protect the environment. We’re not meeting regularly at the moment, but if you have an idea for a shared project let us know.
We’ll make sustainable gifts, useful items, hub displays, protest banners- anything we like! And gain skills and friendships for resilience too. We’ll use secondhand materials and avoid buying new.
M
Mental Health Services
For immediate help
Feeling unable to cope, worried you may hurt yourself or somebody else and/or experiencing suicidal feelings? If your life – or someone else’s life – is in immediate danger, please call 999 or go to A&E.
Need Help Today/Tomorrow?
You can get help with your mental health in different ways depending on what you prefer. All services are free.
Call NHS 111 and select the mental health option (also known as the Sussex Mental Healthline) – Available 24/7.
Samaritans on 116 123 – Available 24/7.
Text the word SUSSEX to 85258 (24/7 mental health text messaging support service)
NHS Mental Health – NHS help and support
Health in Mind is a free NHS service for anyone in East Sussex aged 18+ who is experiencing emotional or psychological difficulties such as stress, anxiety or depression.
You can refer yourself directly to them by using their online self-referral form.
You may also wish to contact them on:
T: 03000 030 130
E: spnt.healthinmind@nhs.net