January can seem like a bleak and unfriendly month

For many January heralds a month of cold, rainy days where neighbours huddle down and motorists adopt their less than cheerful faces.

We’ve had a great start to the new year with invitations to help us spread awareness of our services from BBC Radio Gloucestershire and BBC West as well as a video and filming project that Cotswold TV are managing for us!

Public awareness seems to be growing as well with donations coming in from private donors and communities! We’ve seen new volunteers stepping forwards and we’re setting up new events at Mill Dene House and for Men’s Mental Health Week, which starts on the 15th February, through our Bourton on the Water ‘Men in Sheds’ project.

We’ve renewed funding through a number of charitable trusts, the Police and Crime Commissioner - Martin Surl, County and District Council and have support from a number of Parish Councils this year too. Support is coming from a variety of publications like Cotswold Times and the Gloucestershire Echo and we’ve been given more funding for social prescribing by the Clinical Commissioning Group.

We’re forming an affiliation with a number of other county based charitable organisations like our own and starting to work across localities to roll out proven services like our ever popular lunch clubs.

Whilst we’re having a great start to our New Year, we know that for many others it hasn’t been such a good month. If you are feeling a bit down in the dumps and need a bit of help with carer respite, or ideas of how to help yourself better, give us a call and talk to one of our team. We can help you with community transport or guide you to a social group for support or a good day out. We can help you find friendship.

If we don’t have the answers you need, we know people who do. We’ll help you have a better next month.