Help in Dartmouth during the cost of living crisis
This year people’s energy bills have soared and many people are finding it difficult to find the additional money needed to pay the bills. The price of heating a home is expected to increase further in April, when the government’s energy price cap pledge comes to an end.
As we all face tougher economic times we decided to put together a list of places and resources where people can find help.
South Hams District Council have a Household Support Fund which you can apply for, if you are in hardship or an emergency, this includes struggling to pay bills or afford food.
Find out more about the Household Support Fund as well as other support from South Hams District Council’s dedicated Cost of Living page on their website https://www.southhams.gov.uk/cost-of-living-help
MONDAY
Community Chest in Community Corner, in the Old Market
10:00 – 14:00 – warm space with a hot meal along with advice from Citizen’s Advice, Livewest housing, South West Water and energy
Food pantry avabilable
Flavel Library
09:00 – 13:00 – Comfortable seating, bright atmospheres, and friendly staff on hand to help with any enquiries, your library is the perfect place to escape the cold, socialise and can be enjoyed without spending a penny!
TUESDAY
Community Chest in Community Corner, in the Old Market
17:30 – 20:30, warm space with a hot meal and SEN support group
Flavel Library
09:00 – 17:00 – Comfortable seating, bright atmospheres, and friendly staff on hand to help with any enquiries, your library is the perfect place to escape the cold, socialise and can be enjoyed without spending a penny!
WEDNESDAY
Community Chest in Community Corner, in the Old Market
10:00 – 14:00 – warm space with a hot meal along with arts and crafts, free legal advice (every other week), family Court and domestic violence support worker.
18:00 – 21:00 – MENKIND – a men’s support group
Flavel Library
09:00 – 13:00 – Comfortable seating, bright atmospheres, and friendly staff on hand to help with any enquiries, your library is the perfect place to escape the cold, socialise and can be enjoyed without spending a penny!
THURSDAY
Community Chest in Community Corner, in the Old Market
10:00 – 14:00 – Ukrainian support group
12:00 – 14:00 – free English lessons
Watch this space because we hope the burger nights will start again soon.
Flavel Library
09:00 – 18:00 – Comfortable seating, bright atmospheres, and friendly staff on hand to help with any enquiries, your library is the perfect place to escape the cold, socialise and can be enjoyed without spending a penny!
FRIDAY
Community Chest in Community Corner, in the Old Market
10:00 – 14:00 – warm space with a hot meal along with drug and alcohol support worker
Townstal Community Hall, Davis Road, TQ6 9LJ
Warm hub called ‘Friday Hub
https://www.facebook.com/FridayHubatTownstal
Friday Hub & Dartmouth Food bank work together in the same space on a Friday 11am to 1pm at the moment.
11:00 – 13:00 – Free soup, tea, coffee and biscuits; access to advice and signposting & Dartmouth Food Bank are on hand to TQ6 residents
Also throughout the month different organisations attend: Citizens Advice; Devon CC Turning Corners; SHDC; family support; Dartmouth Medical Practice Care Co-Ordinator; Dartmouth Caring Social Prescribing support; Dartmouth Neighbourhood Police.
Parking available, free refreshments.
Flavel Library
09:00 – 17:00 – Comfortable seating, bright atmospheres, and friendly staff on hand to help with any enquiries, your library is the perfect place to escape the cold, socialise and can be enjoyed without spending a penny!
SATURDAY
Flavel Library
09:00 – 13:00 – Comfortable seating, bright atmospheres, and friendly staff on hand to help with any enquiries, your library is the perfect place to escape the cold, socialise and can be enjoyed without spending a penny!
INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES THAT CAN SUPPORT INDIVIDUAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Backgammon
On the first and third Thursday of the month
All skill levels welcome including beginners. If beginner and require teaching please notify ahead of time. Play to a format until 10pm Sportsmans Arms.
More information Tel: 01803 712231 https://bishbg.weebly.com/
Book Group
Time: 17:00 – 18:00
Description: Meeting on the 1st Thursday of the month. The Dartmouth Evening Reading Group read one selected title a month then meet in the library to discuss it. Most of our choices are contemporary fiction, often from prize shortlists, but with occasional forays into translated work, non-fiction, poetry or biography. For keen readershttps://www.devonlibraries.org.uk/web/arena/dartmouthlibrary
Bounce & Rhyme – Dartmouth Library
Time: 10:00 – 10:30
Description: Bounce and Rhyme. Every Tuesday from 10-10.30am, starting Tuesday the 2nd of November, bring your baby along for a fun, free singalong.
Dartmouth Baptist Church Toddler group
No need to book!! All welcome.
9.30am – 11.30am Main church Hall
Dartmouth Caring
Housing and Benefit advice and support can be found at Dartmouth Caring who have 7 Citizens Advice trained Support Workers ready to help you find out and get what you are entitled to receive and will help you complete the forms and make appeals. They also support Blue Badge applications, Pension Credit and Attendance Allowance – Dartmouth Caring – 35 Victoria Road, Dartmouth TQ6 9RT
Tel: 01803 835384, Email: enquiries@dartmouthcaring.co.uk
Dartmouth Caring – Bereavement Support Group
at Dartmouth Baptist Church 5pm – 6pm (check running before attending)
More Information Tel: 01803 835 384
Dartmouth Caring’s Palliative Care and Cancer Liaison service
Provides support and advice to patients with any life limiting illness and also to those who may be newly diagnosed with a cancer diagnosis who are currently undergoing treatment.
Email enquiries@dartmouthcaring.co.uk Tel: 01803 835 384
https://www.dartmouthcaring.co.uk/get-help/palliative-care-cancer-liaison/
Dartmouth Community Chest – Food Bank – 10am to 2pm Mon, Weds, Frid @Community Café in Market Contact us: dartmouthfoodbank@gmail.com
Dartmouth Green Partnerships
Is a charity run by volunteers which creates and looks after many floral displays and green spaces in Dartmouth. For more information: – https://dartmouthgreenpartnerships.org/
Dartmouth Leisure Centre children 6+
Saturday morning Club 8:45am – 9:30am Water Polo, swimming, games
If your child can swim a length and is aged 6. £3 a session paid monthly.
Email for more information Dartmouth.dsc@gmail.com or Tel: 01803 837010
Dartmouth Museum Volunteer stewards to greet & assist visitors, commit to 3hr shifts several times a year. Like to help Email: reception@dartmouthmuseum.org
Dartmouth Walk & Talk
Level 1, 2 and 3 walks in and around Dartmouth, designed to suit all abilities.
These walks take place on Thursday mornings
So come along and join our sociable group, and enjoy walking in some of the most scenic areas in the country!
More details at: http://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder/south-west/dartmouth-walk-talk
Dartmouth Yacht Club… Book club
You do not need to be a Yacht Club member
https://www.facebook.com/DartmouthYacht/posts/pfbid02qza6em6Z9diM2Twh5kDh58T3vbnFd5RYweUoCTgf1Xwg5B7SFLpEGAzBWCvzk8rDl
Dartmouth Youth Club, Ivy Lane
Email: dartmouthyouthclub@gmail.com
Weekly Youth Night – Tuesday 6.30 – 8.15pm
Flavel – Volunteer duties include…
Stewarding films, lectures and live events, Box Office Sales, Bartending, Marketing, Maintenance / DIY / Decorating, Administration, Accommodating performers, Fundraising. The time you give as a volunteer is based on your other commitments, so if you can only do a few hours a month that is fine. If you can offer more than that, then great!
If you are interested in volunteering at The Flavel, please download a volunteer application form and drop it off at The Flavel, or feel free to email volunteering@theflavel.org.uk if you have any questions
‘Friends’ of Rotary
If you would like to help make our town look cleaner and smarter why not get in touch and become a ‘Friend’ of Rotary, helping with volunteer work around the community. You do not have to be a member.
Get in touch via email – hello@dartmouthrotary.co.uk
Kingswear chess club.
10.30-1.30 Ship Inn, Kingswear
Kingswear chess club is free open to all levels and abilities irrespective of age including one board for beginners.
Open to all ages and all levels although under 16s must have an Adult accompanies them.
Any question message Gary Lewis https://www.facebook.com/gary.lewis.35
Kingswear Baby & Toddler Group
Kingswear Primary School, Stay & play sessions
Term time only Mondays 9am to 11am Tel: 01803 752356
Northernhay Social Day Centre
Day Care Centre, Social Centre & Care Provider
For all enquires, to make appointments Care Manager Tel: 01803 833964
Northernhay Social Centre, 6 Townstal Pathfields, Dartmouth, TQ6 9HL
Power supply – Customers with a medical dependency or vulnerability
https://www.westernpower.co.uk/customers-and-community/priority-services
Priority Services Register (PSR) provides extra help and additional support during a power cut for elderly, very ill or disabled people, or those who rely on power for medical equipment. While power cuts can still happen, they will do everything they can to keep you connected
Rowcroft Hospice
Support ranges from therapies to help you keep your independence, to round-the-clock nursing.
They accept referrals from GPs, consultants, district nurses and other health/social care professionals. Friends and family members are welcome to enquire about referring; however will verify with the person’s healthcare team before accepting a referral.
To access their support, the person being referred to Rowcroft needs to:
• live in South Devon
• have a life-limiting illness
• be 18 or over
Please see website for full eligibility criteria and contact details for our three main services.
Email – info@rowcrofthospice.org.uk Tel: 01803 210800
https://rowcrofthospice.org.uk/how-we-can-help/
Self-help – BBC Mental Health Toolkit
Everyday tips, sounds to relax your mind, strategies to cope with parenting right now or films to get you talking. Visit BBC Action Line for mental health organisations offering information and support.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/…/YfRz…/your-mental-health-toolkit
South Hams Citizens Advice
This service is free, confidential, independent and impartial.
Give generalist support and they have specialist advisers who can support on a wide range of issues: debt problems; making benefits claims and appealing decisions; housing matters; family, relationship and neighbour issues; consumer problems; and health related matters.
They provide free, confidential, impartial and independent advice. Their goal is to help you find a way forward, whatever problem you face.
Contact –
• Online Form for non-urgent enquires https://southhamscab.org.uk/contact/
• Phone Free on landline – 0800 279 7948
• Monthly Warm Drop In @Townstal Community Hall*
• Weekly Mondays @Community Café *
• Via Dartmouth Caring as needed
*check Facebook pages of TQ6 Community Partnership & Community Chest for times
St Saviours/St Clement Church Some children activities throughout the yearhttps://dartmouthanddittisham-anglican.org/young-people/
Visually Impaired Book Club
Run by Dartmouth Caring & Dartmouth Library
Meeting on the 1st Thursday of every month at Guildhall the Visually Impaired Book Club offers an opportunity to discuss books (supplied as audiobook or large print book) in an informal and supportive atmosphere. It’s organised in partnership with Dartmouth Caring, refreshments are supplied and transport may be available.
1st Thurs every month at Guildhall 2pm-4pm
More Information Tel: 01803 835 384 (phone before attending)
https://www.dartmouthcaring.co.uk/clubs/visually-impaired-group/
Work clubs
A new service aimed at helping people get back into work, and supporting those looking for their first job. The 2 hour sessions, often run in partnership with other agencies include advice on
CV writing, interview techniques, volunteering opportunities and assistance with online application form. They provide computer access in order to search for vacancies and improve your basic IT skills. They also give job hunters the chance to meet others looking for work, build new contacts and share experiences.
Dartmouth Library – 01803 832502 Every Friday: 10.00am – 12.00pm
Links to their Facebook pages
Community Chest – https://www.facebook.com/groups/435787023570130
Townstal Community Hall – https://www.facebook.com/groups/3033492470283014
Flavel Library – https://www.facebook.com/dartmouthlibrary
Facebook Literacy Society-https://www.facebook.com/groups/716682809042013