Helpful information and resources

Helplines for those who are struggling with isolation and their mental health

Silver line

Silver line provides an information, friendship and advice service for older people

Phone: 0800 4 70 80 90

Website: Silver line

Samaritans of Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot and Districts

Offers a safe place to talk any time day or night for anyone who is emotionally distressed.

Phone: 116 123 or 0300 094 5717

Website: Samritians

Wokingham Wellbeing Service

Mind in Berkshire Wellbeing Workers can offer free one-to-one appointments for people aged 18 and over in Wokingham.

Phone: 01865 247788

Online refferal form

Rethink Mental Illness advice line

Offers advice and information on a wide range of topics.

Phone: 0300 5000 927

Email: info@rethink.org

Website: Rethink Mental Illness advice line

SANEline

Provides emotional support, guidance and information to anyone affected by mental illness, including families, friends and carers.

Email: support@sane.org.uk

Website: SANEline

SupportLine

Offers confidential emotional support to children, young adults and adults particularly those who are socially isolated, vulnerable, at risk groups and victims of any form of abuse.

Phone: 01708 765200

Email: info@supportline.org.uk

Stroke Helpline

Offering support to stroke survivors and their carers

Phone: 0303 3033 100

Email: helpline@stroke.org.uk

Wokingham Charity and Community Hub

The hub brings a number of voluntary, charity and community organisations under one roof. It provides high quality information, advice and support to enable people to access the right services to meet their individual needs and circumstances at the right time.

Website: Community directory listing

Online help:

Elefriends

Elefriends website is a supportive online community run by Mind where you can be yourself.

Joy

Joy is a web tool helping to connect vulnerable residents (including those with mental illness) with quality care.

Struggling with bills

Ofgem website

Visit the Ofgem website to find out how you can get help.

Wokingham Charity and Community Hub

Website: Community directory listing

Household Support Fund / cost of living help

Visit Wokingham Borough Council cost of living web page for information on help with the cost of living crisis, paying your bills, financial support and more.

Dementia support

Dementia Care Advisory service

For helpful information and advice during the coronavirus outbreak please read our newsletter on the Dementia Care Advisory service directory listing.

Helplines

The following organisations have useful information on their website and offer a telephone support service:

Dementia UK

Website: Dementia UK

Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline: 0800 888 6678

Alzheimer's Society

Website: Alzheimer's Society

Dementia Connect support line: 0300 150 3456

Useful websites for carers

The Carers UK website has guidance for carers on being prepared and protecting someone you care for.

Go to the UK Government website to read guidance from the Government for those who provide unpaid care to friends and family.

Domestic abuse advice

We are aware that this is a difficult and stressful situation for everyone – but particularly so for adults and children living with domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is more than physical violence. It can also include, but is not limited to: coercive control, verbal abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse.

Are you a victim of domestic abuse

Where to get help

If you believe you are being abused, or worried you may commit domestic abuse, please use the following services which can help you.

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police - the police will continue to respond to emergency calls
If you are in danger and unable to talk on the phone, call 999 and then press 55. This will transfer your call to the relevant police force who will assist you without you having to speak.

If you suspect that your neighbours or those in your community are victims of domestic abuse, we encourage you to report it to the police.

Support numbers and websites:

Call Berkshire Women's Aid on 0118 950 4003. This number operates 24 hours a day. You can also email helpline@bwaid.org.uk
Freephone the 24 hour National Domestic Abuse helpline on 0800 2000 247 or visit the National Domestic Abuse website
Call Men's Advice Line on 0808 801 0327 or visit the Men's Advice Line website
Call the Respect helpline on 0808 802 4040 (for anyone worried that they may be harming someone else) or visit the Respect website
Call Galop on 0800 999 5428 (national helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people experiencing domestic abuse) or visit the Galop website.

Ask for ANI

The “Ask for ANI” scheme let you signal that you need help to a member of staff at a pharmacy.

By asking for ANI, a trained pharmacy worker will offer a private space where they can speak to you to find out if you need to speak to the police or would like help to access support services such as a national or local domestic abuse helplines.

Further information about the scheme can be found on the UK Government website.

Stay safe online

The Berkshire Women's Aid website has an information page with tips on how to cover your tracks online. However there is no way of covering your movements completely.

Home Refuge Scheme

The council’s Home Refuge Scheme is a free service is for those who are no longer with their abusive partner and additional security measures would increase their feelings of safety. These measures could include the fitting of door chains, viewers, and window locks alongside safety planning support from Berkshire Women’s Aid and a full fire safety check from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

You can contact our Home Refuge team by emailing home.refuge@wokingham.gov.uk or by telephoning 0118 974 3799

Bereavement information and support

Helpful website

Website with helpful information on grief after bereavement or loss:

NHS UK - Grief after bereavement
NHS UK - Talking to children and teenagers when someone dies
Curse Bereavement Care
Dying Matters
At a Loss
Contact for families with disabled children website - practical support for bereaved parents
Childhood Bereavement Network

Talking to people with a learning disability

Resources to help explain bereavement and loss to people with a learning disability

Beyond Words website has a number of free wordless booklets to download
Down's Syndrome Associatation website - booklet on bereavement
Mencap website - Deling with a bereavement

Talking to children

The Winston's Wish website has guidance on telling a child that someone is seriously ill

Further information

Further information on support services can be found on our bereavement support web page.

Information about arranging a funeral

Websites with helpful information on arranging a funeral:

The Mac Millian website has an easy read guide on attending a funeral.

For information on registering a death and arranging a burial visit our website.

Information and resources for people with learning disabilities and their carers

Visit our useful information and resources web pages for local and national services who are providing support for people with learning disabilities and their carers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Stay active at home

Please seek medical advice if you have existing health conditions.

NHS UK website:

Mind websites has ideas for staying active at home:

Mind website - active at home

Local health information

NHS online services

Visit the following NHS web pages to find out more about how you can get medical help and prescriptions online or over the phone:

NHS Integrated Care System

Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) are partnerships of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services, and to improve the lives of people who live and work in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Visit the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board website for further information.

Visiting a local hospitals

For information on visiting a local hospital go to the following websites:

Public Health for Berkshire

The Public Health for Berkshire website provides you with real-time information for your local area, plus national statistics.

If you are a parent or carer of a child also see our help and support information for parents.

Support independence at home

Homecare services

Go to our support at home web page to find services which support and enable you to stay in your home.

Household aily living aids

Visit our directory for a list of companies who sell a range of personal and household daily living aids to support independence at home.

Stay safe online and how to sign up for Thames Valley alerts

Websites with useful information and resources for staying safe online:

The Think you know CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) website will be producing a home activity pack every fortnight with activities for parents and children to do together to support their online safety.

Thames Valley Alert service

Recieve messages of information, crime alerts or witness appeals local to the area in which you live or work by email, text or telephone by registering with the Thames Valley Alert service. For more information visit the Thames Valley Alert website.