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Throughout Sefton’s Year of Friendship, Sefton Council is dedicated to tackling loneliness by ensuring residents are aware of the many groups and activities on offer throughout the borough.

If you’re suffering from loneliness or feeling socially isolated, the most difficult thing can often be making those first steps towards making new friends.

Sefton CVS’ Community Connectors organise a weekly coffee morning at The Frank Hornby (Wetherspoons) in Maghull. The coffee morning invites anybody aged 18 or over who feels lonely or isolated to pop along and have a hot drink with some new friends. The offer is also open to anybody who would like to offer a helping hand.

The coffee mornings take place every Wednesday from 10am to 12pm with hot drinks available for £1.25 with free refills. For more information call 0151 920 0726 or email connectors@seftoncvs.org.uk

The Connectors have also set up a ‘Community Connector Corner’ at Waterloo Community Centre’s Community Kitchen following the success of the Year of Friendship’s launch event at the venue earlier this year. The Community Kitchen is open to all and takes place every Thursday from 12pm with lunch starting from £3.

Sefton OPERA (Older Persons Enabling Resource & Action) also host an extensive timetable of weekly social inclusion groups including tea dances, arts and crafts, swimming and IT workshops.

On the first Wednesday of every month, ‘Beating Loneliness Together’ is held at the Royal Hotel in Waterloo to bring local residents together to enjoy a new activity each month along with a cuppa and a biscuit.

Men are invited to attend ‘Men behaving brilliantly’ every Tuesday from 1pm to 2.30pm at Sefton Opera’s HQ in St Matthews Church, Bootle. The group is ran by men for men and includes quizzes, darts, cards, board games, Tai Chi and days out.

A monthly Coffee Club is held to provide a regular meeting place for people involved in the Formby Befriending Scheme and others who perhaps live alone or simply want to make new friends. Several volunteers help to make the Coffee Club a place where everyone feels welcomed and included.

The club meets on the 1st Tuesday of the month 2-4pm in the Circle Room at the rear of Formby Methodist Church on Elbow Lane.

If you, or somebody you know, is lonely but unable to get out and about, befriending services can arrange for somebody to pay a visit.

Volunteer befrienders to come and visit someone who is socially isolated in their own home, accompany them to an activity including shopping or just meet up for a coffee and a chat. There are a number of befriending services in Sefton including:

• Age Concern: Call 01704 542 993 or visit www.ageconcernliverpoolandsefton.org.uk
• Bootle Buddies: Call Mary on 0151 933 2116 or email maryorrelltrust@outlook.com
• Formby Befriending Scheme: Email  info@formbybefriendingscheme.org.uk or visit http://formbybefriendingscheme.org.uk

It’s also worth getting in touch if you feel like you could make a difference in somebody’s life as a befriending volunteer.

If you’re aware of any services or activities that promote friendships and work towards tackling social isolation, please send the details to communications@sefton.gov.uk

Sefton’s Welfare Reform and Anti-Poverty Partnership (WRAP) held it’s annual conference last week (February 28) at Linacre Mission in Bootle.

The Partnership is made up of a number of organisations from across Sefton that are dedicated to alleviating poverty and supporting those affected by welfare reform.

This year’s conference was themed around the ‘Power of Partnership to Alleviate Poverty’ and outlined the Partnerships future action plan while celebrating examples of the work that’s already happening in the borough.

Representatives from Sefton Council, Sefton CVS, South Sefton Foodbanks, the Department for Work and Pensions, Sefton’s Citizen Advice Bureau (CAB), Migrant Workers Sefton Community, The Salvation Army and Sefton Council’s Affordable Warmth Team spoke at the event to provide an insight into their work and the pressures they continue to face.

They shared the following statistics:

• South Sefton Foodbanks gives out seven to eight tonnes of food a month
• Sefton CAB has written off £7 million of debt to those in need
• Last year, Migrant Workers Sefton Community helped 184 people into full time employment
• Footfall at Sefton’s Salvation Army hit 8,900
• Sefton Council’s Affordable Warmth team assists over 1,000 households

Attendees also had the opportunity to have their say on six potential projects for 2019/20 including a coat bank, debt project, period poverty, friendship, funeral poverty and taking root.

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said: “Many people in Sefton continue to suffer as a result of policies and decisions that are out of their control and I hope that our partnership work can help to rebuild a small element of social security that this Government has taken away.

“I can’t thank all of the people who are involved in the services and activities that are helping to alleviate poverty enough, but rest assured that Sefton Council continues to fight austerity and make it one of our key pledges as we work with partners to help those most affected by welfare reform.”

Residents that may be affected by welfare reform can find information and support at www.sefton.gov.uk/benefits