AS the lockdown across Wales kicks in, we are highlighting the places that are available to help if anyone is in need.

During these times when normal daily life is turned upside down and people can be left more isolated than normal or are unable to get to the shops due to isolation, it can bring on or make many mental health conditions worse and leave people feeling helpless. But there are many people out there who are doing their best during these trying times to make life easier for people who are struggling, whether that is by doing shopping or small errands for people isolating, or phoning people to check in.

Here are some local and national organisations that are on hand and the services that they will be offering.

Monmouthshire

Mind Monmouthshire

Offer adult wellbeing activities, groups and self-management course through Zoom. They support adults on a 1-2-1 basis, provide counselling, housing support and benefits advice.

For support with mental health, contact 01873 858275.

Monmouthshire council

Are offering support to people shielding or isolating. This includes people needing shopping done or prescriptions collected. For more information or to use this service, contact 01633 644696 or email partnerships@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Basecamp

Basecamp provides free face-to-face counselling in Chepstow and free online counselling for those who live further afield.

The organisation provides counselling for all ages through funding from the Welsh Government, the Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations and Monmouthshire Housing Association.

Visit www.basecampchepstow.weebly.com

National

Live Fear Free

The Welsh Government’s Live Fear Free helpline provides support for people suffering from violence and abuse. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can call free on 0808 8010800, text 07860077333 and email info@livefearfreehelpline.wales.

Dyn Project

Dyn Project offers support for men across Wales suffering from domestic violence by contacting 0808 801 0321 or emailing support@dynwales.org.

C.A.L.L. Helpline

The mental health helpline for Wales is C.A.L.L Helpline. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

They offer community advice and a listening line, with confidential listening and support service. You can call 0800 132 737, or text ‘help’ to 81066 or . You can also visit www.callhelpline.org.uk for more information.

Samaritans

Samaritans are a UK-wide service for people needing help with their mental health. They are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They will listen and you can call at any time day or night.

For help call 116 123 for free or visit www.samaritans.org.

You can also email jo@samaritans.org but take note that a response to the email can take 24 hours.

Mind

Mind can provide information and signposting services. They are open 9am-6pm Monday to Friday, apart from bank holidays.

You can get information on mental health problems, where you can get help close to you, treatment options and advocacy services.

Contact the Mind Infoline on 0300 123 3393, text 86463 or visit https://wwwmind.org.uk.

Melo

The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has developed the Melo website with partners to promote the mental wellbeing of people living and working in Torfaen, Newport, Monmouthshire, Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent.

Melo is here to help you to develop new skills that will support you when life is difficult.

Visit https://www.melo.cymru/

Carers Trust South East Wales

Carers Trust South East Wales is running a winter emergency grants scheme for unpaid carers affected by the Coronavirus crisis.

Carers can now apply for a grant of up to £300 to address immediate winter pressures and emergency needs caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Carers Support Fund has been provided by Welsh Government via Carers Trust Wales to be administered by Carers Trust South East Wales (CTSEW). For more information visit tinyurl.com/yayx92nn https://www.ctsew.org.uk/carers-support-fund-grants?fbclid=IwAR0ykTwHHx7iBUwoxXbP96FkeK3H1-wJMTtps-Ug-Vk01zvUulnHZhinzVs

Home-Start Cymru

Provide friendship, emotional support and practical advice in the homes of families who are having difficulties managing parenting for a variety of different reasons. These could be poor mental health, managing children’s challenging behaviour, disability, domestic abuse, isolation or low self-esteem.

Its mission is to give children the best start in life, by supporting parents so they grow in confidence, strengthening and enjoying their relationships with their children and widening their links with the community. For more information or to get help visit https://homestartcymru.org.uk/

Blue Cross

The Blue Cross Pet Bereavement support service is available 8.30am until 8.30pm, every day of the year. It offers free support for anyone suffering the loss of a beloved pet.

Call 0800 096 6606 or email pbssmail@bluecross.org.uk

British Red Cross

If you are feeling lonely and would like to reach out, the British Red Cross has a free coronavirus support line available on 0808 196 3651, and free online loneliness resources at redcross.org.uk/loneliness-resources.

Call the British Red Cross’ free and confidential coronavirus support line on 0808 196 3651 to speak to a friendly volunteer for a chat if you are lonely, worried or need practical support, seven days a week from 10am to 6pm.

Torfaen

Panteg House

Has supported 565 families and donated 36,000 items of food. They are also supporting 32 families every two weeks from federated schools. They have supplied care homes and a number of individuals throughout the area and are working with groups in New Inn and Cwmynyscoy to take in donations and help people in need. The New Inn group were the first to start a ‘tin on the wall’ collection scheme to encourage donations from their community – the food they collect is stored and distributed via Panteg House.

They have supported people out of their immediate area and have acted as the hub for our donation, delivery and distribution network, enabling us to buy and receive in bulk before distributing to other centres.

Thornhill Community Centre

Are supporting around 85 families a week and are seeing an increase in people walking into the centre. They are supporting families from in their area and have helped people from other areas too.

Croesy Food Share

Have supported 225 people since beginning of April, serving the south east of the Borough, including and beyond their immediate area.

Co-Star

Have supported 264 families with crisis bags and also 180 school families. They support Greenmeadow, Coed Eva, St Dials and Fairwater but have also helped people outside their area when needed. They also continue to support 55 families with food share bags, but they are not included in the above numbers.

Garnsychan Partnership

Have supported 694 families and / or single elderly households. Predominantly those supported live in Abersychan & Garndiffaith ward, with some provision to Pontypool and Blaenavon.

Blaenavon Town Council/Healthier Blaenavon

Estimate that they have supplied over £3,900 worth of food to local people. They have been receiving food share since 5th August and over the 13 weeks they have given out over 325 bags of food, each worth around £12.

Trac 2

Have supported 631 households throughout Torfaen and given out over 12000 food items. They have also included local care homes and traveller sites in their support.

Northville Community Group

Have supported 42 families over the last month and have 125 outreach contacts.

Noddfa Church

Has been supporting Abersychan, Talywain, Garndiffaith and Blaenavon. They have worked out that they averaged 10 families a day since February up until the beginning of half term. This does not include the food parcels they delivered to approximately 30 households in the community at the beginning of the pandemic, which they carried out for 3 months.

Trussell Trust Eastern Valley Foodbank

Assists people across the Borough. Since they switched to the delivery model at the start of the first lockdown, they have delivered 1,907 emergency food parcels. The number of people fed so far is 4,255 (although in some cases this may be the same people more than once). As each parcel contains three meals a day for three days, this equates to 38,300 meals. They have given out 34 tonnes of food during this time.

Newport

Newport Mind

Newport Mind offer adult wellbeing activities, groups and self-management course through Zoom. They support adults on a 1-2-1 basis and have a dedicated peer support worker to those who cannot access the internet services, instead providing telephone support.

They also have a housing and tenancy support team who provide support to people living in their supported houses and for people who are having issues with housing, tenancy agreements, homelessness and benefits support, as well as delivering food parcels.

They also offer counselling services priced at £40 per sessions or £10 per session if there is financial hardship or receipt of benefits.

There is 1-2-1 and group support available for children, young people and families. There are specific projects to help with trauma, nature and eco-therapy, family resilience and volunteering opportunities. There is a whole school approach team to support the entire school community to understand and support their mental health.

There are resources on the Newport Mind website to help with lockdown for both adults and children. Information can also be found on accessing help from Newport Mind at http://www.newportmind.org/keeping-mind---body-active/ or by calling 01633 258741.

Raven House Trust

Raven House Trust have been supporting the community with food parcels and much more. They have increased their output by more than five times, going from 20 food parcels a week to 100.

They are currently closed over the Christmas period but will reopen on January 5. Anyone who needs help can contact them through 01633 762999.

Newport City Council Community Hubs

Free phone number to ring for support 08001963482.

Feed Newport

Feed Newport help homeless, refugees, older people, people fleeing domestic violence, and those at risk through living in poverty.

You can contact them on 01633 549796 or visit https://www.feednewport.com

Faith Church Rogerstone

Over Christmas Faith Church in Rogerstone, located on the Wern Industrial Estate, provided more than 40 people and families with hampers, reminding them they are thought of and cared for. “We realise we’re in an area which has felt the impact of Covid and the knock on effects that brings and we are committed to playing our part to help where we can. If you’ve been hit with the challenge of this time - practically or emotionally or just need a listening ear, please get in touch and we’ll be glad to see what we can do to help.”

Email at info@faithchurch.wales

Caerphilly

Risca Covid-19 Volunteers

The Risca Covid-19 Volunteers were set up in March specifically to help members of the community during the first lockdown with small errands, shopping and prescription runs and calling people who are lonely and isolated.

They currently have around 200 volunteers supporting almost as many individuals and families. There are a lot of other projects they have been doing including coffee mornings and craft sessions, which have been suspended due to the lockdown restrictions.

They are also running a tin on the wall campaign for the Risca food bank and other local charities.

If you need any help from the Risca Covid-19 group, you can contact them on 07935646375, 07935647795 or by visiting www.riscacv19volunteers.com and through Facebook.

BMMR Churches

Bedwas, Machen, Michaelston-y-Fedw and Rudry Churches (BMMR) set up a CSRE project on March 23, run by Reverend Dean Roberts. They deliver food parcels, collect prescriptions and provide support via telephone. You can visit www.theparishtrust.org.uk

Gateway Church

Claire Hughes at Gateway Church in Caerphilly has used £7,000 worth of Lottery funding to set up virtual wellbeing workshops to help with people’s mental health during lockdown.

You can get in touch by emailing info@gatewaychurchcaerphilly.co.uk.

Tin on A Wall Newbridge

The tin on a wall in Newbridge supplies the Pantside foodbank with tonnes of food each week as generous members of the community leave food to be collected.

St Cenydd Road Church, Caerphilly

Have a food bank which is open between 10am and midday every Wednesday. No voucher is necessary.

Hengoed Happiness and Well-being Group

Provide friendship, support and a host of online events. You can join quizzes, coffee mornings, craft evenings, buddy support and tea together.

These events are all held in person usually but are limited to online at the moment.

Find out more at www.facebook.com/HengoedHappinessandWellbeing

Blaenau Gwent

Brynmawr Rotary Club

The club run a supplementary food bank to support working poverty groups and people directed to them. They have supplied 182 families with Christmas hampers and supplied 100 fresh fruit and vegetables parcels to another group’s hamper delivery. If they are unable to help, they will signpost to other organisations.

l Have we missed any? Please let us know by e-mailing newsdesk@southwalesargus.co.uk with some information on what the group is doing during lockdown to help the community.