My daughter used to love Thomas the Tank Engine.  I was always interested in the fact that Thomas’s dream was not to be the fastest or the smartest but to be a really useful engine. Self-esteem plays a huge role in our physical and mental wellbeing and you can give your self-esteem a real boost in 2020 by making a positive difference to other people’s lives and, in turn, make a positive difference to your own!

Small kindnesses make such a difference to peoples lives, whether it is lift sharing or somebody collecting your prescription when you are poorly.  Sometimes we just need a quick fix to lighten the load and being a Good Neighbour to people in your community can help forge strong bonds and a feeling of community togetherness – we can help set up a Good Neighbours scheme if you haven’t already got one in your area.

Other ways to help your wider community could be participating in parish tidying activities, picking up dropped rubbish and tidy shared spaces such as a sheltered housing scheme, or the path where it gets overgrown. You could start a community group or a tools share scheme if you are lacking the resources.  If this sounds like something you’d like to do, CCS Agents can help you find access to grant schemes to start a community group.

If you are house bound, perhaps you could contribute to a telephone befriending service such as Silver Line 0800 4708090 or Age UK 0800 678 1602.   You could contact SPARK on volunteer@sparksomerset.org.uk 01460202970 to find more volunteering opportunities.

If you are the one needing a bit of extra support, you are always welcome to pop into one of our Talking Cafés. South Somerset’s run at Chard Library Mondays 2-4pm, The Angel Langport Mondays 10am – 1pm, South Petherton Library, Friday’s 10-12pm and Yeovil Hospital Canteen Wednesdays 2-4pm.  This is an opportunity to connect with your community, chat to our Agents and meet other friendly faces for a cuppa (small contribution towards cuppa appreciated).

Our CCS Agents are spread across Somerset ready to help you get out into the community and provide confidential and practical solutions for people, wherever they are in Somerset, often when others don’t, won’t or can’t. Did you know our growing network of over 50 local experts support nearly 2,000 people in need each year? We support people to be:

• Healthy & well
• Able to manage their affairs
• Stay independent & safe
• Be part of a strong & thriving community

Have a look at our new website https://somersetagents.org to explain more about what we do or phone me on the details at the bottom.

Think of all the positive things we can achieve if we are all more like Thomas in 2020!