J U L Y . 2 0 2 0 , I S S U E 3

CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

.

Your monthly newsletter August 2020

On the Road again Over the last month The Connected CommunitiesTeam has been busy making connections in thelocal communities we work within. As more of usare starting to emerge from lockdown we have beenable to get out a little more. We have had sociallydistanced meetings with a range of partners such asHOUR Community in Framlingham, fellowCommunity Connectors, Colleagues from theCommunity Teams at East Suffolk Council tomention just a few. As a team we are well aware thatwe can only offer the best service to our participantsif we have the knowledge and connections withexisting services. We would love to get to know asmany of the community services, business andresidents within our communities as possible. If youlive or work within Wickham Market, Framlinghamand surrounding areas, Deben and Woodbridge orthe rural areas of East and West Waveney thenplease do get in touch with us.

We are also planning for our mobile home "VincentVan Go" to go out on the road and visit communities.If you would like Vincent to visit your communitythen please do let us know. "Vincent" will soon bedecorated with our logos so please look out for himon a road near you soon!

.

@SocPrescribeSFCFollow us on Twitter

Ou

01473 835477connectedcommunities@suffolkfamilycarers.org

Dealing with anxiety

Feeling irritable and snappyFeeling hopeless Having dark thoughts and catastrophising(focusing on the worst case scenario)Feeling low most of the timephysical signs such as headache, digestiveproblems, racing heartbeat, dry mouth

Exercise even gently if you can Connect with othersDistract yourself with things you enjoyTalk about your concernsSeek professional help, talk with your GPContact the Connected Communities Team

Anxiety is a very normal feeling and can even bea useful emotion to keep us aware of potentialthreats, however there are times when anxietybecomes harmful to our mental health.According to mind.org.uk 1 in 6 people in the UKwill experience depression and anxiety in eachweek. The experiences we have all lived throughover the last few months and the uncertainty ofthe future has meant many more of us aredealing with feelings of depression and anxiety,So how do you know if your anxiety ordepression is a problem? here are some signsto look out for

This list is not exhaustive but if you recogniseany of the above issues and feel low in moodyou are not alone and help is available. Thereare some things you can do which will help.

There are many services that can offer you helpdealing with anxiety and depression, please getin touch with us at the Connected CommunitiesTeam and we can work with you to point you inthe right direction for support.

Karens Quiz Cornerconnectedcommunities@suffolkfamilycarers.org 01473 835477

Make a referral 

01473 835477

connectedcommunities@suffolkfamilycarers.org

suffolkfamilycarers.org

Are you over the age of 65?

Do you live in Woodbridge andDeben area, Framlingham andWickham Market or rural areas

of east and west Waveney?

Would you like to access ourservices? If so please contact

us

Hello my name is Katie and I am the CommunityConnector for the Framlingham and WickhamMarket area. I have spent most of my workinglife within the voluntary sector mainly workingwith Family Carers. Over the last few months asa Community Connector I have been busygetting to know the communities ofFramlingham and Wickham Market. I have beenreally impressed with the strength of thesecommunities and the fantastic services whichare already available. I hope to be able to be ahelpful addition to these communities and cantwait to get working with the residents ofFramlingham, Wickham Market and theirsurrounding villages. Please do get in touch ifyou are over the age of 65 and would like to talkwith me about feelings of isolation, loneliness,low mood, long term health conditions,separation, bereavement or any other lifeconcerns. We can work together to get to thebottom of these problems and I can point you inthe direction of local services that can help. Away from work I am a mum to two energetic young boys who keep me busy and in my spare time I enjoy catching up with friends, eating out and walking. Please do get in touch

Its time for Karen's quiz corner. lastmonth Karen's question was George Vhad a tattoo of a sheep? True or False.The answer was False he actually hada dragon tattoo. Can you answer thisweeks questions

01473 835477connectedcommunities@suffolkfamilycarers.org

Q. It would take about 1 hour to drive to space?

– true or false?

Meet the Team

Karen's Quiz Corner

The Power of petsThe 8th of August was International Cat Day, acelebration of our feline friends. This made usthink about the power our pets have on ourhealth and wellbeing, especially when tacklingissues of loneliness. The Mental HealthFoundation produced some research with CatsProtection in 2011 and found that "87% ofpeople who owned a cat felt it had a positiveimpact on their wellbeing, while 76% said theycould cope with everyday life much betterthanks to the company of their feline friends"(www.mentalhealth.org.uk) It is wellrecognised that having a pet in the home canhelp with feelings of depression, low moodand lonliness. There are now evenorganisations such as Borrow My Doggy whomatch those wanting to spend time with dogswith busy dog owners. Although owning a petwill not be for everyone it can be a significantpart of keeping mentally well. We would loveto hear how your pet has helped you, why notemail us a photo and story about your furryfriend. To get started we would like tointroduce you to Monty who lives with Ian ourSenior Community Connector and has becomea team mascot after featuring in various onlineteam meetings over the last few months.

17th Aug: BioBlitz Survey (ecologist survey,wildlife spotting)25th Aug: Drawing to Nature Sounds (artworkshop)27th Aug: Collage Map Making (artworkshop)14th Sept: Words from a County Churchyard(poetry workshop)

Waveney and Blyth Arts are soon to be offering free BioBlitz Arts online video workshops. BioBlitz is the act of recording varieties of plants,insect and other wildlife or biodiversity in a givenarea. Waveney and Blyth Arts explains that“BioBlitz Arts was set up earlier this year by asmall W&BA team who have reached out to localChurchyards, asking those who upkeep them tocreate conservation areas or ‘wild patches’ wherethe grass is left to grow long, allowingwildflowers and insects to come back into thearea. Since the start of lockdown at the end ofMarch, we’ve seen amazing results in St Mary’sChurchyard in Bungay, and Holy TrinityChurchyard in Blythburgh, with copious varietiesof wildflowers and insects establishingthemselves in the unmown grasses”(www.waveneyandblytharts.com) Waveney andBlyth Arts are now able to offer family friendlyonline video workshops showing you all aboutBioBlitz Art. They are all free thanks to fundingfrom Suffolk Coast AONB. The date of events arelisted below but please note that these are thedates the videos will be shown on You Tube livethey will still be available after this date. Each video will be informative, inspiring and helppeople to learn more about the Suffolk Coastallandscape, with a focus on being creative usingsimple materials at home.

For more information visitwww.waveneyandblytharts.com

The Connected Communities Team is proud to work within some amazing local communities in EastSuffolk. Being in lockdown has given usplenty of time to research these communitiesand we have found some really interestingfacts about rural areas of East Suffolk. Wethough we would test your local knowledge.Can you guess the village in East Suffolkfrom the facts below? Its just for fun but feelfree to share your answers with us.

The church here is 700 years old andhas an octangonal tower.

I can see a water meadow with abeautiful mill.

In the 2001 census there were 2,204residents living here.

Flora Sandes the only female servingsoldier in WW1 lived here.

In 2009 one of the largest iron age coin finds was discovered here.

01473 835477connectedcommunities@suffolkfamilycarers.org

BioBlitz workshops Where are we?

You are the experts...We would love to hear from you!

We are really enjoying learning about your localcommunities and would love to find out more.

Do you have stories you would like to share aboutyour community? local heroes? helpful services?

Interesting facts?

Contact us and share your experiencesconnectedcommunities@suffolkfamilycarers.org