Supporting Us

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Home-Start Colchester was established in 1993 and in 2018 expanding across South Tendring to meet unmet need now known as Home-Start Colchester Jaywick and Clacton. A local charity set up to support local families. The scheme supports families in Colchester and South Tendring who are struggling through difficult times. Anyone can face difficult times in their life, and when you have small children the challenges can often be that much harder.

Facing illness, acquiring disability, or experiencing bereavement can affect your life in a big way. Knowing that there is a local charity to visit and support you during these difficult times can make all the difference.

How can individuals help?

Home-Start CJC is a small local charity with a small delivery team. We do not have funds for marketing and promotional staff therefore we are often forgotten when individuals make donations, legacies and memorial gifts. But any gift made to our service will make a big difference to the families and children we support. You can highlight where you want your funds to go, so if you want to make a difference locally please think about Home-Start. You can donate on Local giving and the link is here.

https://localgiving.org/charity/home-start-colchester-jaywick-clacton/

How can local companies and individuals help?

Local businesses can provide funding, which will be used directly in their community. They can also encourage their employees to participate in workplace fundraising, or promoting staff to volunteer. We need your support! You may even want to donate a Christmas present to a young person this Christmas.

Or sell your veg !

Here are a list of funders that are currently funding our vital work.

A terrible tragedy inspired father of four Paul Nolan to volunteer with Home-Start – the death of his mother in a house fire.

“It was as though my eyes had been opened,” says Paul. “I decided that you have one life and I wanted to make my life better by making other people’s lives better.”

So Paul went from working more hours than there are in a week as an area manager for a pub chain to a fully qualified health and social carer and a Home-Start volunteer!

“I was attracted to Home-Start because I love children and I want to work with families, but I also knew it would help me towards my ultimate goal of being a social worker. The 10-week training course was impressive and the fact that Home-Start is a national organisation where I would get a lot of experience really appealed to me.”

Paul’s story

Nikki had split up with her baby’s father, was quite isolated and needed someone to talk to. Speaking to her for the first time, I was struck by her lack of confidence and the negative view she had of herself.

Now our meetings have changed. I used to offer Nikki advice and support, but now we talk about all the good things that are happening to her.

Nikki now has a better relationship with her family and has found herself a job, a new network of friends and a healthy social life. Supporting Nikki has been very interesting and greatly rewarding. I have watched her change from a shy young person with very low self-esteem into a chatty, confident young woman who is looking forward to a bright future with her son.