Wellbeing

Elevate Foundation was officially launched in February this year and strives to empower each young person with the essential tools, skills, and self-assurance they require to overcome life’s challenges. To achieve this goal, we provide various activities and courses with a focus on enhancing wellbeing and aiding young individuals in building their confidence and resilience, while providing practical ways to manage the challenges they may face. All sessions are led by experienced qualified facilitators, each one having a different emphasis in promoting wellbeing through practical, physical and creative skills.

Examples of sessions we offer are Surf Therapy, Equine Therapy, Street Art, Bushcraft, Paddleboarding, Kayaking, Baking, Empowering Young Minds Course, and Stress to Calm Workshop. We currently run these activities (for children and young people in the BCP area) in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays and heavily subsidise them to ensure that we can be as inclusive as possible.

We are passionate about family and offer courses and support for parents and guardians including Tea, talk and Topic, Attachment parenting and Mental Health First Aid.

We also recognise that some children and young people will need extra support and have just launched our 1:1 counselling for 8-18years, in partnership with Relate Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, and we are building positive relationships with schools in the local area and aim to establish strong connections and collaborate with them as we grow.

We are an online library of accessible health information with simple words, clear pictures and films.

The mission of Action for Happiness is to promote a happier world, through a culture that prioritises happiness and kindness.
We do this by helping people get together regularly (face-to-face where possible) to learn evidence-based skills for happier living, feel a sense of belonging and commit to personal action to create more happiness, both for themselves and others.

We have no religious, political or commercial affiliations and welcome people of all faiths (or none) and all parts of society. Members of the movement make a simple pledge: to try to create more happiness in the world.

Think of Headspace as your mind’s best friend. We’re here for you whenever you need us, wherever you are, helping you get through tough times and find joy in every day.

Through science-backed meditation and mindfulness tools, Headspace helps you create life-changing habits to support your mental health and find a healthier, happier you.

Headspace is proven to reduce stress by 14% in just 10 days. It can also help you relax your mind in minutes, improve focus, and get the best sleep ever.

Oakhaven Hospice now have the Coates Centre – they offer bereavement support, counselling, social support groups, courses and activities and complimentary therapies. They are based in the New Forest but anyone living in local area can access.

Picnic in the Parks is full of ideas to help you live well and love nature. Take your time to explore this Dorset-inspired park to find inspiration, discover new experiences and enjoy fun health and nature-related activities. Activities will grow and change seasonally so keep visiting for fresh ideas.

Walking is an everyday activity that is good for our physical, mental, and social wellbeing and described as the perfect exercise.

BCP Health Walks are free, regular guided walks between 30 – 45 minutes for people of all abilities. Specially trained volunteers lead the walks and are on hand to provide encouragement and support with a friendly, welcoming smile.

We offer weekly and monthly walks across Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole taking in the beautiful surroundings of parks, open and natural spaces, beaches, and towns with new places to discover and explore, it is also a great way to meet new people.

Mondays Highcliffe Clifftop Carpark; Highcliffe Clifftop Shelter – 10.30am
Tuesdays Christchurch Saxon Square, from the Saxon Cross – 10.30am
Wednesdays Highcliffe Globe Inn Gardens – 9.30am
Thursdays Mudeford Sandpiper Pub Carpark – 10.30am

Hourglass is the only charity in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland working exclusively on elder abuse, and we provide knowledge, expertise and support to thousands of people every year.

We work to protect, and prevent the abuse of, vulnerable older adults and by doing so we also protect other adults at risk of abuse.

This is a confidential Service. If you are worried for the welfare of an older person, you can call us for free on our 24/7 Helpline – 0808 808 8141 for confidential information, support and guidance.

Our Helpline is open 24/7 – including weekends and bank holidays. Email, text and instant message options are currently only available during business hours, (Mon-Fri 9 to 5).

Mobile number for the text service 07860 052906.

Support services are a vital asset to the ARC we are a one-stop-shop of face-face drop-ins from various services, equipping our local area with a vital network of people they can trust and look to for support.

We are joined every Thursday by: Citizens advice: 10.00am- 12.30pm  and Sovereign Housing Association: 9.30am- 12.30pm

Joining us fortnightly on Thursdays: Lets talk money: 9.30am-12.30pm and Neighbourhood Policing Team (subject to call out duties): 10.00am-12.00pm

Parks in Mind includes gentle nature conservation, gardening, arts, yoga, tai chi and mindfulness, with activities suitable for all abilities. The idea of the project is to use nature to help promote and improve wellbeing, whilst helping to care for parks and open spaces. It has a focus in Boscombe but, on occasions, meets elsewhere and online. Open to everyone, it comprises people from many different backgrounds, with some joining through social prescription or self-referral. All activities are free. There’s more information on the Parks Foundation website together with updates in the Facebook group.

Homechoir is a digital choir and community, now approaching its third year of singing together online. Homechoir is free to all with no formal membership. Our MD, Ben, was awarded a BEM for his work on Homechoir in the 2021, and is currently a finalist for the Francesca Hanley Inspiration Award, as part of the Music and Drama Education Awards 2022.

Times for the weekly live broadcasts are:
– 2pm Mon – Songs from the international folk music repertoire
– 2pm Wed – Classical and traditional music
– 2pm Fri – “Fun Friday”: a rolling programme of fun and comedic songs
– 11am Sun – “Sacred Sing”: non-denominational, music from international spiritual traditions

A safe quiet space where it’s Ok not to be OK.
Wellbeing 120 is a simple cafe style space run by Immanuel Southbourne where hobbies and activities are shared with each other. Wellbeing 120 has a quiet room or prayer space where inner habits of wellbeing are shared. We partner with a mental health professional from the local council or other suitable organisation to ensure good inclusive practices.

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.