Support overcoming loneliness

As a service designed to provide support overcoming loneliness and social isolation Better Together is well placed to support our clients, as well as taking on additional referrals from people who find themselves unexpectedly isolated.

Our Freephone Better Together Helpline is open from Monday – Friday 9am-5pm so if you would like information, advice, support or just a friendly chat, please call them on 0300 303 3920.   

Our Life Connectors work to develop new and innovative ways to combat social isolation and loneliness by providing support to individuals and community groups. The service seeks to reduce barriers causing loneliness, offer new opportunities for social interaction, deliver one-to-one assessments, coaching interventions and support to individuals, design and deliver community-led initiatives and provide infrastructure support to local organisations and groups.

Better Together Norfolk has played a key role in working in partnership to provide support overcoming loneliness and social isolation across our commissioned areas of delivery (Norwich, South Norfolk, Broadland and Great Yarmouth).

You may also find the following information useful:

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Norfolk’s Mental Health & Wellbeing Service has a dedicated section on their website with information and resources to help us deal with the isolation aspects of Coronavirus.

They are also hosting regular live webinars how we can all look after our mental health and emotional wellbeing in these challenging times.

The NHS’s Every Mind Matters website has guidance on mental wellbeing while staying at home and if you have specific anxieties for example about coronavirus.

Rehab 4 Addiction is a charity providing online support to those dealing with substance addiction.

Keeping active, occupied and entertained

Exercise regularly: Active Norfolk and NHS Choices have put together a selection of gentle exercises that can even be done at home. They are intended for older adults, or people who don’t take regular exercise.  Active Norfolk NHS Exercise Booklet

Catch up on some reading: Norfolk libraries offer a range of activities and are a great place to simply read a book. Find out about Norfolk County Council’s Library Service here

Discover Local History: If you are using this time at home to catch up with your historical research, Norfolk Libraries have a range of online resources to help you. From home you can access digitised historic newspapers and listen  to The Norfolk Heritage Centre Podcast, which has talks and interviews on a range of topics relating to Norfolk’s history. Discover these and more on Norfolk Libraries website.

Be a Community Editor: Archant are looking for volunteers to help with their Local Recall project which involves digitising the whole of the Eastern Daily Press newspaper archives to make them accessible to the public online.  The role can be done at home and you can give as much or little time as you able.  All you need is a computer or laptop and internet access.   Further details here.

Go on a Journey: Take a virtual tour of some of the world’s most famous museums, galleries and tourist attractions. or have a look at the Picture Norfolk website which showcases over 20,000 images of local life, chronicling the changing people, places, animals and landscape of Norfolk.