Peterborough charity begins new wellbeing service in Welland

A city charity has begun a service to boost wellbeing and tackle isolation – but wants local people to tell them what it should offer.

Family Action runs a community centre off the Welland housing estate in Peterborough.

It is planning a project where local people can request help with anything, but also make suggestions for community events and activities.

Charis Newman from Family Action said: “We want people to come forward and say ‘we want this’, we really are open to suggestions.”

The service begins on 4 June with a coffee morning every Wednesday between 09:00 and 12:00.

There, people can get advice on “literally anything”, Ms Newman said, such as writing a CV or filling out forms, or make suggestions on “what they feel they’re missing at the moment”.

She said the aim was to involve hard-to-reach families in Welland, which is one of the most deprived areas of the city.

“We’ve got some work to do in winning over people’s trust,” she said.

“It does feel as though people are a little bit insular, a lot of people felt like it’s difficult to connect with people.

“If we just get a few people to start with, then they can see how friendly we all are, and how much we want to help.”

Family Action already runs a pre-school out of the community centre, and a weekly community fridge.

Helen Terrington, from Family Action, said: “We’re sort of hidden away at the back of the houses, so we want to make sure people know we’re here.”

She said they were also open to hear from people who could volunteer for the new service.

“We’re really interested in hearing what skills the local community have got, if they’re really passionate about crafting, crochet, if there’s a yoga teacher.

“The possibilities are endless.”