ALDI SHERBURN IN ELMET

The Big Communitea in Selby is your local lifeline for mental health support and everyday struggles. Through our support line and welcoming Drop in Centre, we offer early intervention, compassionate guidance, and clear signposting to the right help when you need it most. As a trusted partner of the NHS and like minded charities, we’re proud to work together to make real change. We also deliver vital training in Mental Health First Aid, Suicide Prevention, and Safeguarding, empowering our community with the tools to care, connect, and support.

The role of AOC within the community includes -General charitable purposes - The prevention or relief of poverty - Overseas aid/famine relief - Religious activities - Economic/community development/employment - Children/young people - Elderly/old people - People with disabilities - The general public/mankind - Makes grants to individuals - Makes grants to organisations - Provides human resources - Provides services - Provides advocacy/advice/information At AOC The Ark Family Centre we offer a range of support services to the local community. Some of these are just starting out and are in development. We have a vision to touch the lives of the community to provide a safe place for children families and individuals to seek support and advice or be signposted to relevant local organisations. The vision is to improve quality of life, provide equal access to basic provision and enable individuals to grow. We have set up a food bank which operates on an open door policy so everyone is welcome and can choose what they need rather than being provided with a standard package. The aim is that people can feel valued and have equal access to basic food provision. The food supply from neighbourly will be used to meet the increasing demand and need for food. The food provided to the community is free of charge and goes to young children, teenagers and families as well as individuals who may be struggling. We have an open door policy so this is accessible to all members of the public including some families who we work with regularly. In addition to this AOC also offer a warm space called switch off and park at the ark on a weekly basis. This provides a safe space for the community to access a computer, work, talk and there are specific trained mental health practitioners available . General help and support is offered including signposting to other agencies. As part of this group we provide hot drinks and hot food to all that attend. There is no restriction and again this is an open door policy. The food from neighbourly would therefore be used for this also. Additionally we offer childrens groups and groups for parenting support and emotional wellbeing for children and parents. The aim in the near future is to expand our services to offer a group to enable families to ddvelop their skills in cooking on a budget. This will enable families to grow and share their skills through generations!

Sleepsafe Selby, located in Selby North Yorkshire, is a temporary accommodation provision supporting local rough sleepers and individuals vulnerable to the effects of homelessness. We assist individuals to overcome personal challenges, such as addiction and substance abuse, financial hardship, physical and mental health issues, lack of documentation etc., which prevent them from finding and maintaining permanent accommodation, providing a range of practical support services and intervention measures. Our temporary accommodation consists of 10 self-contained units, equipped with the essentials: A bed, storage drawers, a tv and entertainment stick, central heating and a fan. Alongside this, residents have use of two toilets, a shower block, two kitchens, lounge and outdoor seating facilities along the canal. We aim to provide a family-like atmosphere as we believe this will help our residents feel at ease and comfortable with us. We also host a drop-in service for individuals who do not reside from us but benefit from our services. We provide basic necessities, such as hot meals, food parcels, access to showers and clothes washing facilities, and other support services. This can include support with attending appointments, accessing benefits, or finding appropriate services, helping individuals maintain stability and continue making progress. Sleepsafe is not just a place for someone to rest their head, we provide a homely atmosphere and treat our residents like family. We provide a support network of not just staff, but also other residents who become friends.