SPRING is part of University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity (Registered Charity Number 1057366) and overseen by a steering group which includes bereaved parents and caring, committed professionals – all of whom are passionate about SPRING and matters surrounding baby loss based at St. Mary’s Maternity Unit at Poole Hospital. The Bereavement Suites at St. Mary’s Maternity Unit are partly funded by SPRING and provide space for parents and families to spend precious time with their baby before saying goodbye.
The aim of SPRING is to support through grief at the point of loss, delivery and beyond. working closely with medical professionals to help provide a high level of care to bereaved families, alongside regular NHS services. SPRING also provides support and care through subsequent pregnancies. The professional specialist counselling service provides confidential individual counselling and trained facilitators provide monthly open support meetings.
SPRING is here for bereaved families living in Poole, Bournemouth and surrounding areas, and is funded by the generosity of fundraisers and donors. Through the provision of this service being held in a safe, non –judgemental environment, bereaved parents and their families are able to explore their thoughts and feelings following the loss of a baby. By offering a range of services and support such as the counselling service alongside regular open support meetings, SPRING aims to create a space for those affected by grief and help bereaved parents and families along this devastating journey.
Alongside these services, SPRING also holds three remembrance events a year. Bereaved families and friends are invited to attend these events which provide the opportunity for the community to come together to remember their special babies.
At our heart, SPRING is here to help parents and families through the worst possible times in their lives and whilst we know we can’t make everything better, we aim to make sure things aren’t worse for bereaved parents.
c/o UHD NHS Charity Office Poole Hospital, Longfleet Road Poole, Dorset BH15 2JB
Art Dementia New Forest is a registered charity. Our aim is to eventually have art groups across the whole New Forest, to which any person with dementia could have access.
Our Milford workshop is held fortnightly on Mondays.
Milford Community Centre Sea Road Milford on Sea SO41 0PH
Turn2us is a national charity providing practical help to people who are struggling financially. Turn2us helps people in financial need gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help – online, by phone and face to face through our partner organisations.
Use our free and easy-to-use Benefits Calculator and Grants Search tools to check what benefits you might be able to claim and what grants you might be able to apply for.
RNIB, the Royal National Institute of Blind People, is the UK’s leading sight loss charity. We offer practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, their families and carers. We raise awareness of the experiences of blind and partially sighted people and campaign for change to make our society more accessible for all. We want to change our world so there are no barriers to people with sight loss. Our Talking Books service is absolutely free. Giving you access to over 37,000 fiction and non fiction books for adults and children in accessible formats that suits you.
Call our helpline on 0303 123 9999
The only specialist national charity for people in their last years and their much loved, much needed companion animals.
A network of 18,000 volunteers “hold hands” with owners to provide vital loving care for their pets. We keep them together – for example, we’ll walk a dog every day for a housebound owner, we’ll foster pets when owners need hospital care, we’ll fetch the cat food, or even clean out the bird cage, etc.
When staying at home is no longer an option, our Pet Friendly Care Home Register lists care homes and retirement housing happy to accept residents with pets, and providing previous arrangements have been made with us we will take on life time care of a bereaved pet.
We have multiple walking groups for varying levels of ability. Our energetic walking group is a brisk paced walk for those who are more active. We also offer a gentler walking group. There will be various routes available, where you will be able to enjoy the beautiful Dorset scenery. Our Walking Groups will provide regular activity at a level suitable to you, as well as the opportunity to enjoy the company of others.
Positive Path Foundation is a charity set up to support the development of friendship, social skills, independence and work opportunities for high functioning individuals with both learning difficulties and physical challenges. We help individuals aged 12+ with special needs, poor mental health, anxiety, stress, panic attacks and low self-esteem. Parents of children displaying challenging behaviour, aggression, and mental health issues.
We also offer therapy, mentoring, sibling support, play therapy and time out to assist the entire family living with special needs. Support and guidance is also offered to parents of children upon diagnosis, assisting parents navigate their next steps for their child. We can offer support in the practicalities, therapies and coping strategies.
The New Cabin, Station Road, Sway, Lymington, SO41 6AA
SFHT offers a wide range of services to people with a learning disability through our residential home, a day time personal development programme and our supported living services.
SFHT now supports more than one hundred people across all our services.
SFHT was established in 1980 by a group of families whose young adult children had learning disabilities. Over time three houses were purchased in the Southbourne area of Bournemouth as more people sought services with the charity and day services were set up to offer meaningful daytime activities.
We now operate 8 supported living services, one residential home at Bisterne and have 3 day service locations.
People First Dorset was set up in 2004, as a user led charity, supporting people with learning disabilities to develop their self-advocacy skills.
We achieve the above by providing friendship, fun, support groups, forums, easy read and quality checking services. People with learning disabilities should be assured of their independence, their ability to choose, and their inclusion in community life. This requires confidence, communication skills and the ability to challenge.
We currently run the following projects:
2 Herringston Barn, Herringston, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9PU United Kingdom
Remap is a charity that helps disabled people of all ages to live more independent lives. Our network of skilled volunteers design and custom-make equipment free of charge.
We help to improve quality of life and increase independence for disabled people of all ages, providing solutions to everyday problems when there is nothing commercially available.
We design and custom-make equipment for each individual because everyone’s needs are different.
Our network of skilled volunteers respond to thousands of requests for our help every year and we provide our service free of charge.
The Sleep Apnoea Trust is a national charity that exists to improve the lives of sleep apnoea patients, their partners and families and is managed almost entirely by unpaid volunteers.
Our website is the best reference source for sleep apnoea information in the UK . The guide to driving and the DVLA is vital reading to any driver newly diagnosed or facing driving licence renewal when 70 year old or more.
If you cannot find an answer to your questions, then there is an email Helpline service which will receive a response quickly and accurately.
The advocacy skills of the Trust means we are directly involved with the NHS in almost every aspect of the referral, diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnoea. The new NICE Guideline, NG 202, in which we played a direct role, considerably widens the scope of patients qualifying for free NHS treatment using a CPAP machine and also made available alternatives to those intolerant to CPAP.
We are a Dorset-based Christian charity that works alongside people through times of crisis building hope and resilience to deal with times ahead. We run practical projects around food, finance, recovery, homelessness and lone parenting in our local towns.
Help and support across Dorset:
STARS is a pan-Dorset charity that offers one to one support, free of charge, for anyone of any age or gender, who lives works or studies in Dorset and has experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives. We provide several different types of support including an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor Service, Counselling, a Children and Young People’s Service and a Support Line – 01202 308855
Sexual Trauma and Recovery Services (STARS) PO Box 7697 Poole Dorset BH15 9GN
We understand that cancer can throw a lot your way. We’re there for you at diagnosis and beyond, providing reassurance for you, your friends and your family. We’re here to help everyone with cancer live life as fully as they can. Whether you need help paying bills, advice on benefits or treatment, or just want to chat, find out about the different ways we can help. We can currently offer:
– an online community
– the Macmillan support line
– information about different types of cancer and the treatments
The Dorset Business Mentors program was developed to improve the resilience, improvement and growth of micro, small and medium business and achieves this with an unrivalled service ranging from personal support to skills development workshops and peer networking.
Dorset Business Mentors, c/o Economic Growth & Regeneration Team, County Hall, Colliton Park Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XJ
We run a huge variety of workshops, classes, events and projects for both young and old, in schools and in communities, with particular emphasis on reaching people who are vulnerable or disadvantaged and would not normally be able to access arts and culture. In addition, we care for 2.5 million objects that relate to Hampshire’s rich and internationally important cultural heritage.
Hampshire Cultural Trust Chilcomb House Chilcomb Lane Winchester SO23 8RB
The café can be used as a training facility for women in our care, many of whom have very low self-esteem and limited cooking skills. Here they can gain their Food & Hygiene certificates and build their confidence through hospitality skills.
Current services:
-FREE 1:1 support with a trained support worker – 12 month program where we get alongside each beneficiary and use Individual Support Plans to help you get through whatever you’re going through. Sessions last from 30-45 minutes.
-We provide FREE weekly lunch from the café for our beneficiaries
-We signpost to various organisations/counsellors
-We provide training on site in both our café and IT room. This may include training in Food/Hygiene certificate, help with CV writing, help using IT etc.
-We provide a befriending service where befrienders get alongside our women, providing a listening ear and or helping with practical issues, such as escorting our beneficiaries to court, taking them to the Foodbank etc.
-Thursday sessions for craft/chat
-Companion Calls with one of our volunteers
-Monthly Book Club
131 Barrack Rd, Christchurch BH23 2AW
CAN provides professional expertise, practical services and a platform for promoting and sharing volunteering opportunities. They help groups set up, speak up on their behalf to ensure they have a say in the local community, support them to network, and give them the tools and knowledge they need to grow and thrive.
Christchurch University of the Third Age (U3A) offers a programme of educational and leisure activities for those not in full-time employment, and is part of a worldwide movement. Members with similar interests meet during the day in small groups, usually weekly or fortnightly and at various venues. The main aim is to advance the education of retired & semi-retired people and assist them in pursuing their interests within a social environment.
The Epicentre, 27A High Street, Christchurch, BH23 1AB
Child Bereavement UK helps children, parents and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. We support children and young people up to the age of 25 who are facing bereavement, and anyone affected by the death of a child of any age.
We provide training to professionals in health and social care, education, and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
For more information or to support the work of the charity, please email:
[email protected]
Visit our website: www.childbereavementuk.org
National Helpline: 0800 02 888 40
Unit B, Knaves Beech Way, Knaves Beech Industrial Estate High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP10 9QY
Shine Cancer Support provides information, peer support and programmes for adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s who have had a cancer diagnosis. We support adults with any cancer diagnosis, at any stage. In Dorset, we have a Shine Network which provides regular in person and online meetings and events.
At Cancer Support UK, we understand that it’s perfectly normal to be left with anxiety and concerns after treatment – sometimes for a long time – and following discharge, it’s hard to know where to go for help.
When cancer treatment finally finishes, family and friends often expect cancer patients to feel better, but for many, it’s when they feel worst of all.
Our Cancer Coach support groups can help.
Cancer Support Uk Citibase, Millbank Tower Millbank, London SW1P 4QP
Forest Arts has been the creative heart of New Milton for nearly 50 years. Our programme of entertainment includes some of the most exciting touring musicians, stand-up comedy, fortnightly film screenings, talks and community events.
Our Green Room café/bar is also a gallery and our annual open exhibition is a place where artists we’ve nurtured in our classes and workshops can display their work too. Visit during the day and you’ll find our building full of people who are learning something new – whether that’s ballet, art or stone carving; the classes and workshops continue into the evening – ensuring that as many people as possible make the best use of our facilities.
Since March 2020, we have adapted and reinvented what we do and continued to run a varied programme online, outdoors and in the centre. Things have looked a bit different to usual but we’re prioritising making sure that our staff, volunteers and visitors feel safe and welcome. This will be continued to be our focus over the next few months as we return to more frequent events and activities. We’re a small and friendly team so please say hello when you’re next in the centre or get in touch using the contact details on this page, and let us know any feedback you have and thoughts and ideas for our future programme.
Old Milton Road New Milton, Hampshire BH25 6DS
The Child Brain Injury Trust is the leading voluntary sector organisation providing emotional and practical support, information and learning opportunities for families and professionals affected by childhood acquired brain injury across the UK.
Objectives;
To provide individualised support to enable children and their families to move forward following acquired brain injury
To improve the quality of life of those affected by raising awareness of the impact of a brain injury on the whole family and empower those who can help through provision of education and information.
To provide a powerful, united voice for individuals, families, communities, experts and professionals who know just how devastating childhood acquired brain injury can be
To influence policy in health, social care, education and youth justice to improve access to support and the quality of support provided
To raise the funds we need to deliver our vision, inspired by the individuals and families at the heart of the organisation
Field view, Baynards Green Bicester, Oxfordshire OX27 7SR
Lewis-Manning Hospice Care is a charity helping people with life-limiting illnesses and their families across East Dorset.
We promote acceptance, hope and peace of mind, helping people live well through their illness. Lewis-Manning Hospice Care offers a range of important services, which are run by our incredible clinical team.
These free services are:
Day Hospice
Lymphoedema Clinic
Breathlessness Service
Creative Arts & Wellbeing
Bereavement & Family Support
Complementary Therapy
56 Longfleet Road Poole, Dorset BH15 2JD
Age Concern Christchurch (ACC) aims to improve the quality of life for thousands of older people across the borough, helping them to retain their independence safely and with dignity to get the most out of life. We aim to be responsive and innovative, flexible and community driven.
We provide befriending services for over 65s, friendship groups and transport for shopping and day trips. We have two retail shops in Bargates and Tuckton too.
85 Bargates Christchurch BH23 1QQ
The key purpose of our service is to ensure the views of parents and carers are considered and valued to improve and shape future service provision across education, health and social care services within the local area.
We do this by:
• gathering parents and carers views in a variety of ways
• highlighting common issues
• working in co-production (as equal partners) with key SEND leads and head of services
• finding out about service developments and national policy and how they affect families
• responding to consultations
We also run coffee mornings across the locality, these are an ideal opportunity to meet with other parents in a safe and supportive environment and find out about local services.
The forum is free to join and is open to all parents and carers in BCP who have children or young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities aged 0-25. Whether diagnosed or undiagnosed.
Drop in centre providing food, clothes and support for street homeless and those who are vulnerable and struggling with debt and housing problems. Support with benefits and signposting to other agencies such as immigration, money advice and social activities.
107 Palmerston Road, Bournemouth. BH1 4HP
We are a UK wide charity offering one to One tech support. We support older people and People of any age who are disabled to achieve their goals online. Our volunteers are Enhanced DBS checked, plus undergo a rigorous interview process to ensure the safety of all.
We currently have a free helpline and more than 300 UK wide carefully selected AbilityNet Tech support volunteers who offer one to one support in disabled and older clients’ homes with technology, whether it is a laptop, computer, tablet or smartphone. We offer impartial advice, help set up new equipment, or show people how to set up email, online shopping, connect with family and friends etc. Our offer is also quite niche as we offer advice and support on how to make an individual’s device work for them, for example, if we were to support a visually impaired client we would identify their need and show them how to adjust their device to make it more accessible by making the font bigger or setting up talk back.
AbilityNet, Suite 61,Pure Offices,Plato Close, Leamington Spa, CV34 6WE
Our services all seek to address the significant issue of social isolation which impacts on residents across both the age and socio-economic spectrum and to improve the quality of life for all who live and work in Christchurch.
Christchurch Angels. Volunteers provide initial 1:1 support to help clients to rebuild their confidence (perhaps after a bereavement or long period of isolation with ill health) and will accompany them to activities/Lunch Club/support group initially. If they are unable to physically reconnect with activities, they can be signposted to other services.
Telephone Friendship Groups. Volunteers lead a weekly social interaction with a small group of similarly isolated folk perhaps around a shared interest or hobby (e.g., Book Club/Gardening/Men’s Shed).
Helpful Neighbours. Volunteers can undertake a small household task (hang a blind/change a lightbulb/assist with technology) to enable people to manage in their own home but also perhaps provide a way into other services/support.
Dial a Bus & Neighbour Car services. Volunteers drive a small minibus or use their own car to help provide weekly shopping trips for those unable to access public/private transport, to support access to Lunch Clubs, to offer transport to support groups (e.g., Carers/Dementia/Men’s’ Sheds/Widows/Widowers Clubs) and to assist those with additional support needs to access medical and other essential appointments. Volunteer Buddies also accompany people on the buses offering company and conversation during the journey as well as assistance getting on and off the buses.
The Hospital Saturday Fund is a grant making charity giving grants to medical related charities and also individuals in need of certain mobility equipment, home adaptations and therapies. Guidelines showing the complete list of available support is available on the fund’s website.
We are also able to refer to our Link Worker service, who offer one to one sessions in the community (where allowed to do so), by phone or video to connect you to local activities, support groups and services. They help to try to resolve practical issues by connecting you with services and funding that might be available if needed. Link workers are usually based in their local area so have good local knowledge. They can assist you to visit activities for the first time and to access and navigate services.
We also offer a Self-Management coaching service, in which a coach would meet with you for up to 6 sessions, usually in a GP surgery or by telephone or video. They offer support in managing your health conditions or that of a person you are caring for, and its impact on your day-to-day life. For example, this could include prioritising issues and agreeing step by step actions and goals. At the same time, the coach will take a holistic look at your circumstances and together you might identify other goals, lifestyle changes and support networks to effect positive change. A chance for more “good days” in other words.
