Welcome to the May 2023 edition of our Residents' eNewsletter.

Help with your mental health

We all feel anxious sometimes, it’s a natural reaction to certain situations.

But when it gets out of hand and we feel anxious most of the time, it affects our daily life and can become overwhelming.

Anxiety is the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week (15 to 21 May), which aims to highlight ways to deal with anxiety that really work, whether you are dealing with anxious feelings yourself, or would like to help a loved one cope.

Every Mind Matters has information about common symptoms of anxiety, possible reasons for it and what to do when you’re anxious. Plus you can sign up for an anxiety-easing email ​​programme to get expert advice on dealing with anxiety.

Mind also has information about anxiety and panic attacks, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support.

Take a look at West Sussex Connect to Support for local help and advice with mental health issues and Your Mind Matters for targeted help for young people and parents.

Take action on dementia

West Sussex has one of the highest numbers of people living with dementia in the country.

Recent figures show that approximately 16,650 people are currently living with the condition in our county, but this is predicted to rise by nearly 35% in nine years, to 22,450 by 2030.

It’s Dementia Action Week (15 to 21 May) this week and we want residents to know they can find key information on how to live well with dementia on our West Sussex Connect to Support website.

You can also become a Dementia Friend to better understand and help people living with dementia by watching a short five-minute video on the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends website, or by attending one of the information sessions held by the charity’s volunteer ambassadors.

Help change a local child’s life 

It’s Foster Care Fortnight™ (15 to 28 May), the Fostering Network's annual campaign to raise the profile of fostering and show how it transforms lives.

The theme for 2023 is #FosteringCommunities, and Kelly, the county council’s Head of Fostering and Kinship, has made a video to share some of the ways you can get involved.

These include:

• Starting your fostering journey (or inviting a friend to), by attending an information session
• Following Fostering West Sussex on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and sharing the posts
• Downloading a colouring poster (created by our Children in Care Council) to colour and display in your window or on your community noticeboard, to help us raise awareness of the urgent need for more foster carers in your area.

While all the 850 children we care for are in safe accommodation, many are waiting to find a local foster family.

Why is it important to keep our children local? Having to leave their family homes can be scary for the children we care for. By keeping our children local, we can ensure that they can attend the school they're familiar with, with teachers and friends who know them.

Our foster carers receive training, ongoing support and a financial package of up to £28,500 a year per child. Find out more about fostering here.

Are you scam savvy?

We are running a series of free webinars to raise awareness about scams and online safety.

The sessions are for anyone who wants to keep themselves, or friends and family, from falling victim to different types of scams.

These include telephone, courier and romance fraud which have all become an increased concern in West Sussex. 

Find dates, times, and how to book here.

Join the free Summer Shape-Up Challenge

Gro Health, a free digital weight management service available to anyone who lives or works in West Sussex, is launching a Summer Shape-Up Challenge.

Throughout June, Gro Health is hosting a series of virtual events, daily exercise classes, ‘cookalongs’ and masterclasses to help you shape up in time for summer.

The Gro Health programme, which supports people who wish to lose weight and maintain a healthier lifestyle, is a new service being offered by the county council in addition to a range of existing free weight management services available via West Sussex Wellbeing and the NHS.

Available in 19 different languages, it offers personalised support for up to 12 months and helps people achieve self-selected goals through access to education, recipes, on-demand exercise classes, group, and one-to-one coaching.

Click here to find out more and confirm your eligibility.

Plan a local adventure on Sussex Day!

It’s Sussex Day on 16 June and a chance to celebrate our county.

If you are planning a local day out, take a look at Experience West Sussex which has a list of fun, family-friendly ideas for a Sussex Day adventure!

Find out more about the history behind Sussex Day, and if you are planning an event, you can add it to our events database free of charge.

More news

Head to our Newsroom to find all the latest news. Below are some highlights:

• We are encouraging you to reduce waste by repairing and reusing items instead of throwing them away.

• Residents and visitors to West Sussex will soon benefit from a new bus route between Chichester and Littlehampton as part of the West Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan.
  
  

• People aged 75 years and over (by 30 June 2023), those in care homes, and people aged five years and over with a weakened immune system, are being offered a spring booster of the COVID-19 vaccine. To book visit the NHS website, use the NHS app or call 119.

• Ofsted Inspectors have praised the county council for its ‘relentless approach to improving practice’ in Children’s Services.
  
  

• It’s World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. If you are ready to quit, there’s lots of  local help and support available.

• You have until 26 May to sign up to our popular Solar Together Sussex schemethat helps households switch to clean, renewable energy.
  
  
• June 1 to 7 is Volunteering Week. Take a look at some of the volunteering roles available at the county council. 
  
  
• Resurfacing works will be taking place on three main roads throughout May, to provide a safe and durable road surface. The roads scheduled are in Goring, Cuckfield and Arundel.

Our Library Service has expanded its popular free digital offer by adding hundreds more eAudiobooks. Library card holders can now borrow items free of charge 24/7 from BorrowBox.

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