DIAL SOUTH ESSEX

DIAL has been awarded funding from the National Lottery from 1st April 2023 for 3 years to enhance some of our services and to introduce some new parts into our daily work.

The grant will cover more elements in addition to our general information and advice service as below:

Advice & Advocacy: ensuring people can access our specialist advice and advocacy provision by using a combination of telephone and on-line functions to ensure people receive 1-1 support.

Community Connections: a programme of activities to connect people using on-line media including:

• Befriending: maintaining contact with beneficiaries by telephone, email and texts,
• Facebook: developing interest whereby people send weekly updates on what they have been doing, posting photos and ‘funnies’; we will create the “Isolation Support Group” to maintain group activities on-line,
• WhatsApp: we have an existing group which will continue and develop as a 24-hour p/day function as people are becoming stressed and need support at all times which this group can provide,
• Online Skype calls
• Instructions, training and support to set-up and operate on-line shopping, GP contact, etc

Volunteering: continuing our existing volunteer function to keep on recruiting people to support the programme; this would engage disabled people as well as a peer function.

If you would like more information or to participate or to volunteer on this project or any of our services please contact the main office where we will be happy to chat with you.