Community Connections Providers Issue a Joint Statement

Community Connections Providers Issue a Joint Statement

We are very pleased to say that Catalyst Support, Richmond Fellowship and Mary Frances Trust are continuing to provide the Community Connections Service in their respective areas for the next 5 years. 

As the three lead providers of Community Connections, we’re committed to working more closely with each other and with the people who use our services, to enhance our offering and make our services easier to access.

In response to feedback on ways to improve the service, here’s what to expect over the next five years:

  • Evening and weekend support:
    More support outside of working hours to meet the needs of a wider variety of people.  
  • More specialised mental health peer support sessions:
    We have recognised there is an appetite for our peer support groups to be more focused on specific needs. 
  • Continuing the virtual offer:
    During the pandemic we changed the way we provided support, by offering workshops and groups over Zoom. This enables us to support people that would not be able to attend in person.
  • Ongoing support :
    We will continue to provide long-term support via groups and workshops to those that wish to continue engaging with us, in line with your feedback that Community Connections is a lifeline. 
  • Priority Groups & Accessibility:
    We are committed to being inclusive of all and ensuring that our support is accessible for everyone.

Did you know that we have already begun to act on this feedback, offering more evening support and specialist support sessions. 

Here are some examples of what we are already offering:

  • Richmond Fellowship and Mary Frances Trust offer domestic abuse drop-in clinics every two weeks, in partnership with East Surrey Domestic Abuse Service. These clinics are available for anybody who would like support or advice around sexual abuse and domestic abuse.
  • Mary Frances Trust has groups for Bereavement, Autism, Hoarding, LGBT+ and Bi-Polar. 
  • Women’s Support Centre Surrey, part of Catalyst Support, helps women dealing with abuse, discrimination, trauma, homelessness, financial difficulties and those navigating the criminal justice system. 
  • Catalyst Support delivers an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder online group, and Schizophrenia peer-support group in Guildford.
  • Catalyst Support delivers evening support groups that include Depression and Anxiety group, LGBTQ+ group, Autism group, Young People’s group and an Audio Book club.
  • All three providers are offering evening support sessions.

We are committed to developing our services and enhancing our offers in response to feedback and will continue to update you on our progress over the coming months.

We would love to hear your thoughts on our services as these plans evolve. Each provider has their own way of working together with the people they support, please contact your local service to share your reflections and suggestions.

We’re feeling very enthusiastic about the future of Community Connections and grateful for the opportunity to provide continued support to the Surrey Community.

What is Community Connections?

Community Connections delivers wellbeing support to people aged 16+ in Surrey, including peer support groups, workshops, and courses, both online and in person. For more information on support available from Community Connections at Catalyst Support, visit 

catalystsupport.org.uk/services/mental-health/community-connections

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