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Wellies-On Community Interest Company (CIC) is a not for profit Care Farm. We use the everyday running of our mixed livestock farm as a vessel through which we can deliver transferable life skills and resilience, We believe in bringing together care of the land and animals with care of the people for mutual healing. Interactions with animals have been shown to improve health and well-being, especially in terms of mood and socialisation. "We take it for granted that we can go outside when we want to, enjoying fresh air, sunlight, plants and trees – and it generally makes us feel much better, relieving stresses of everyday living. Yet people in hospital, people in care homes and especially those with dementia are all too often not able to do this." - Dementia Services Development Centre. At Wellies-On CIC we have created the idea of the 'flat-pack farm' as an extension to our current provision. Flat-pack farm means that the farm can come to residents in their own home, hospital or residential setting with expert staff bringing along different farmyard animals and running nature based activities. It is not always possible for people to access the farm, through utilising the flat pack farm we are hoping to reach out to more people who are often in greater need of intervention. In addition, we understand that during the colder months, some people may prefer to complete indoor activities. We have animals that have been specifically trained to take part in activities and have been exposed to many situations making them ideal assistants in our work. The animals we are able to take out on visits are a small selection from our farm and include chickens, guinea pigs, dogs, pygmy goats, small Shetland ponies and seasonally lambs, kids, chicks etc. We hope that as a result of our interactions in the residential environments we will be able to gather evidence and opportunities for the residents to be able to progress and where appropriate, venture out of the home / hospital environment and take part in our on farm community and activities. We believe that there is something for everyone to be part of on the farm. The clients that attend Wellies-On CIC care farm get involved in everything from grooming to milking, bedding down the animals to leading them in and out, planting things in the garden & woodland, cooking, sweeping the yard area and everything else in between. Service users work with a team of highly qualified teachers, mental health professionals, trainee occupational therapists and support staff, often in small groups or on a 1 to 1 basis. In all cases they are working towards a better quality of life. Being in a farm environment and taking part in farm based occupations has been shown to provide individuals with multi-sensory stimulation, physical activity, cognitive stimulation, a source of vitamin D, regulation of sleep patterns, and the opportunity to reminisce and share memories from their lives.

Nelson's Journey is a charity that supports children and young people in Norfolk who have experienced the death of someone close to them. We help them deal with their bereavement issues to help them move on positively with their lives. Many of the young people we see have experienced the sudden death of a parent, sibling or significant other as a result of road traffic accident, murder, suicide, sudden illness or drink/drug related deaths. It is not unusual for the children to have witnessed these deaths or have been involved in the events immediately afterwards. Our experience shows that children need adequate information about the circumstances of the death. Without this, children are likely to fill in the gaps with their own imagination, which can create feelings of guilt or other problems in life. It is currently estimated that 1 in 29 school aged children have experienced the death of a parent or sibling, in Norfolk this equates to approximately 3,825 children. This figure is significantly higher when pre-school children and 17 year olds are included. Our vision is to give every bereaved child in Norfolk the support they need to move forward positively with their lives, never having to cope with their loss alone. We know offering the right help at the right time gives them the best chance of avoiding long-term mental and emotional health issues, which can lead to educational problems, drug and alcohol abuse and law-breaking. Our range of group interventions for children and young people include: therapeutic weekends, activity days (including a day for children and young people with Special Educational Needs), NJ Clubs (youth club style groups for bereaved children and young people) and therapeutic family events such as our annual Walk of Smiles and Carol Concert. 1:1 work in-house at Smiles House and also outreach at school or in the home is also available and includes coping mechanisms for the children we work with to deal with their emotions, as well as therapeutic memory work around the person who died. It costs us around £522 to provide a full package of support to a child who has experienced the death of a loved one. This includes a full assessment of their bereavement needs, 1:1 support with one of our bereavement support workers and a therapeutic residential weekend at Hilltop Outdoor Centre where they can meet other children their own age who have had similar experiences to themselves. They will also learn coping mechanisms at these weekends, to help them rebuild their confidence and deal with their emotional issues.

St Helena Hospice exists to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people with life-limiting illness, no matter what their diagnosis. We are here to support families, including children, before and after bereavement and to support people from every background and faith who need our services. We are a registered charity providing specialist and holistic care for anyone living in North East Essex and the Colne Valley area of Mid Essex who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness.  All services are free of charge to patients and their families and delivered by our highly qualified teams of specialists including nurses, doctors, physio and occupational therapists, social workers, complementary therapists, counsellors and a chaplaincy team at any stage of the illness. These services are provided through our Inpatient Unit and Joan Tomkins Centre in Colchester, the Tendring Centre in Clacton, as well as in people’s own homes through the Clinical Nurse Specialist and Hospice at Home teams. The hospice also has a specialist Education Centre, an approved collaborative partner of Anglia Ruskin University, promoting skilled and compassionate palliative care through training and education up to master's degree level.