HarlowPortal.coop Where Assistance can be found

Index		local help and advice organisations
ADAS		local drug advisory service
BusinessLink		Businesslink in the East of England
CALM Centre		counselling and life management centre
Cornerstone Trust		improve quality of life of socially and economically disadvantaged people
Employ-Ability		access to employment to the disabled and disadvantaged
Explosion Entertainments		free entertainers for local charities
Festiva Club		enhance lifestyles of black, ethnic minorities and their Harlow neighbours
Grandparents' Association		working with and for all grandparents
Harlow Advice Centre		free local help and advice
Harlow CDA		your local co-operative development agency
Harlow Chamber		the local chamber of commerce
Harlow Chinese Centre		Harlow and District Chinese Community Centre (HDCCC)
Harlow Community Transport		accessible range of transport services for Harlow residents
Harlow Council		the local district council
Harlowsave Credit Union		savings and loans credit union
Harlow Mind		a better life for people diagnosed, labelled or treated as mentally ill
Harlow Stroke Support Group		for stroke survivors and their families
Harlow Surestart Centres		local centres for early learning children and their families
Harlow Women's Aid		help for those experiencing domestic violence
Harlow Women's Network		activities and meeting opportunities for women locally
Integration Support Service		support services for refugees and asylum seekers
MRCT		disABILITY in Action - Michael Roberts Charitable Trust
Police		local police service and crime prevention
Rainbow Services		practical help to alleviate poverty
Rethink Harlow Advocacy		giving a voice to people with mental illness
Safer Harlow Partnership		working together to reduce crime
University of the Third Age		educational and social group for older people
Volunteer Centre - Harlow		volunteering opportunities in your local community

Website link (if any)
		Harlow Co-operative Development Agency (Harlow CDA) aims to be the agency of choice for people to develop and support co-operatives and social enterprises in the Harlow and district area. A board of directors manages the Harlow CDA, and our members are mainly made up from the existing co-operative businesses in Harlow. All co-operative businesses in Harlow are entitled to a seat on our board. Why not contact us if you need to know more about opening up a co-operative business? ISS, 2 Wych Elm, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QP Contact telephone 01279 308154 email
		Harlowsave Credit Union offers straightforward, affordable and accessible financial services for all who live or work in Harlow and the surrounding areas. If you live, work or study within postcodes CM17, CM18, CM19 or CM20 you are eligible to apply for membership. Members save regularly throughout their membership. This means that, so long as they do not withdraw too often, their financial base continues to improve. Even whilst re-paying a loan the minimum savings need to be made, so that when the loan is paid the member has more savings than before he / she took the loan. Harlowsave Credit Union, 21 The Rows, Market Square, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1BZ Contact telephone 01279 451234 email info@harlowsave.coop
Harlow Surestart		Harlow Surestart Centres offer help with returning to work, childminding and finding childcare, for those with children.
		Explosion Entertainments provide entertainers and performers on a voluntary basis to charity events and causes to help raise awareness or fundraising. We are a volunteer entertainers’ social enterprise and community interest company. Entertainers interested in volunteering their skills to perform at charity events can register online, as well as charities needing help with their fundraising. This is all free, and beneficial to both entertainer and charity. Contact Peter George (founder). Telephone 07789377405
Employ-Ability		Employ-Ability is a charity promoting access to employment for disabled and disadvantaged people. Manager Philip Edwards Supported Employment Advisors Mike North and Damien O'Dell. Please telephone if you would like more information on our services or to make an appointment . Employ-Ability, Latton Bush Centre, Southern Way, Harlow, Essex CM18 7BL Telephone 01279 412950 Fax 01279 450299 email info@employ-ability.info
		Cornerstone Trust is a registered charity, established in 1998 on Christian foundations, to improve quality of life of socially and economically disadvantaged people within our local communities of East Herts and West Essex through practical action. Cornerstone Centre, 1 The Stow, Harlow, Essex, CM20 3AH Telephone 01279 415871 Email admin@cornerstonetrust.org.uk
		Business Link is a government-funded service designed to promote enterprise. Whether you are already running or growing a business or just starting out, Business Link is the place to go. 08457 17 16 15 is the single phone number for access to all their services.
Harlow & District Chamber of Commerce		Harlow & District Chamber of Commerce is a business support organisation with a membership of over 100 local businesses. Their aims and objectives is to aid in the promotion of our town and the surrounding areas, for the benefit of businesses, traders and local people alike and to assist with advice that any members may need. Networking meeting dates can be found on the Network and Seminar Diary page of their website. Contact Angela Peppiatt on 0845 685 0010
		Rainbow Services are working for change to alleviate the effects of disadvantage, deprivation and social exclusion. Rainbow Services, 2 Wych Elm, Harlow, Essex CM20 1QP Contact telephone 01279 308150 Fax 01279 416558 email info@rainbowservices.org.uk
ADAS		Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service (ADAS) provides advice and information on all matters concerned with drug or alcohol use. This includes details about local and regional specialist statutory and non-statutory substance misuse services, as well as information on other organisations that provide help and support in the community for people who experience problems from substance misuse. The ADAS advice and information service is open each weekday from 9am to 5pm. ADAS 118-122 The Stow, Harlow, Essex, CM20 3AS Contact telephone 01279 438716 email admin@adasuk.org
		The Safer Harlow Partnership is a partnership of organisations and groups working together to reduce crime, disorder and the misuse of drugs in the town. It is led by Harlow Council, Essex Police, Essex County Council, Harlow Primary Care Trust and Essex Fire & Rescue Service, but includes many other local bodies such as Essex Probation, Victim Support, the Youth Offending Team, Essex Youth Service.
		Harlow Welfare Rights and Advice service provides free, confidential, impartial and independent advice to Harlow residents. Specialist advice and advocacy are available on benefit, debt, employment and housing rights. Additionally, the service offers an assisted information service, plus information leaflets, booklets, fact sheets and access to online information. Social policy work, advice and information to Councillors, and support for organisations that function to improve the rights of disadvantaged people are important aspects of the service's work. telephone 01279 446622 (office hours) 2 East Gate, The High, Harlow, Essex CM20 1ND email admin@hwra.org.uk
Integration Support Services		Integration Support Services offers support for refugees, asylum seekers and ethnic minorities. We are a non-profit making organisation for refugees, asylum seekers, ethnic minorities and all newcomers to Harlow. Integration Support Services (ISS) is a community organisation which tries to help integrate people, and enable them to have an active role in our community. Telephone 01279 639442 Mobile number 077 567 69660 2 Wych Elm, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QP email info@integrationsupportservices.org.uk
Harlow Women's Aid		Harlow and Broxbourne Women's Aid consists of a group of local refuges for women and their children experiencing domestic violence. Telephone 01279 836611 (office and 24-hour helpline) Fax 01279 836610 email helpline@womensroom.org
Harlow Police		In an emergency phone 999 Many switchboards phones need you to dial a 9 first to get an outside line. Most modern mobile phones will allow the international emergency number of 112 to be dialled even if the phone is locked. Another common emergency number is 911. Harlow Police can be contacted directly on 0300 333 4444 This number is also for any of the Essex police stations.
		Grandparents' Association is the fastest growing membership organisation for grandparents in the country. It was launched in 1987 by a group of grandparents whose grandchildren had been put into care, adopted from care or were not allowed any contact with them. Office 01279 428040 Helpline 0845 4349585 Moot House, The Stow, Harlow, Essex CM20 3AG Email info@grandparents-association.org.uk
		Harlow Council is a district Council that provides services such as refuse and recycling collection, housing, environmental health, electoral registration, planning and building control, parks and leisure. The town has around 80,000 residents in 37,000 households. Customer enquiries are dealt with by our contact centre on 01279 446655 Civic Centre, the Water Gardens, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1WG Email contact@harlow.gov.uk Housing Repairs Phoning our Repairs Call Centre 01279 446666 Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm, Saturday 9am - 12am (This number can be used to report emergency repairs 24 hours)
CALM Centre		The Counselling and Life Management Centre (CALM) is a long established charity which provides a high quality professional counselling service to people regardless of the complexity of their difficulties. Latton Bush Centre, Southern Way, Harlow, Essex, CM18 7BL Telephone 01279 411330 Email calmcentre@btconnect.com
		Volunteer Centre Harlow is a local voluntary project existing to promote and support volunteering. The Volunteer Centre actively recruits potential volunteers from all sections of the community and places them with local voluntary organisations who are seeking volunteers to help with their work. We are an equal opportunities project and believe that everyone has the right to volunteer without discrimination. We have information on a great deal of voluntary opportunities available in Harlow and new opportunities arrive daily. Volunteers are needed for a wide range of tasks including clerical help, driving, wheelchair pushing, befriending, fundraising, conservation, working holidays and overseas projects, to name a few. The Volunteer Centre offers support and information to voluntary groups working with or thinking of involving volunteers. This support also enables us to help promote good practice in working with volunteers and advocate the rights and responsibilities of volunteers. Contact Della Nash 3 Wych Elm, Harlow, Essex. CM20 1QP Telephone 01279 308310 Mobile 07910 075101 Email dellanash@volunteercentreharlow.org.uk
Harlow Women's Network		The Harlow Women's Network is an informal group of women's organisations and individual women, campaigning on issues important to women, attending conferences and celebrating International Women's Day each year. It became an incorporated charity in 2001 and from 2001 - 2004 operated a successful Women's Resource Centre offering a wide range of activities and opportunities to women. Since the funding was not renewed, we closed the centre and continued with a reduced number of activities run by volunteers. We are now steadily growing, and our aim is to open a new centre in the future. Harlow Women's Network offers support to all women in the locality through the provision of a range of activities, advice, education and training with a view to strengthening self-esteem, providing new skills and promoting self-help. The Network encourages women to deal with social issues and make positive choices to enhance their quality of life and take a full and active role in community life. Contact Angela Mobile 07983056547
HDCCC		The Harlow and District Chinese Community Centre was first established in 1995 and registered as a charity organisation in 1999. In the late '50s Harlow's first Chinese Resident Mr Man was invited by the Harlow New Town Development Corporation Management Board to come to Harlow to set up the first Chinese Restaurant in Harlow. Over the years, Harlow's Chinese population grew to 1.3% of Harlow's population according to the 2001 census. The need for a Chinese Language School was identified by the local Chinese community, and the Chinese school was formed in the late 1970s with the first lesson held in Mr Tsui's front room. Today, Harlow Chinese Community Centre occupy a modest building leased from Harlow Council. The Centre has expanded over the years and can now offer a broader range of activities and facilities. Lower Meadow, Commonside Road, Harlow, Essex, CM18 7RT Telephone 01279-414096 Email contact@harlowchinesecentre.com
MRCT		At MRCT our aims and objectives are to develop work and social opportunities and seek to meet the Christian spiritual needs of people with learning and / or physical disabilities. MRCT was established as a registered charity in 1997 consolidating work originally started in 1991. The charity seeks to involve people with a disability in all aspects of its work, promoting the value and significance of each person as an individual, encouraging them to take an active role in decision-making and future planning. MRCT promotes community integration for people with a learning and / or physical disability and provides opportunities for them to help meet social need both in Harlow, across the UK and in Poland. Contact Gary Knott, Director of Community Services The Rainbow Centre, 2 Wych Elm, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QP Telephone 01279-724515 Fax 01279-724515 Email garyknott@mrct.org.uk
Harlow Stroke Support Group		Many stroke survivors, and their carers, suffer from a feeling of isolation and loss of confidence in themselves. The aim of the Harlow Stroke Support Group (HSSG) is to assist them to overcome these feelings by offering information, support and friendship. Information includes leaflets and details about strokes. Support includes referrals, home visits and to share experiences with others Friendship includes weekly social club, monthly events and a chance to meet and make friends 3 Wych Elm, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QP Telephone 01279-308313 Email stroke@harlowcarers.org.uk
		Rethink, Harlow provides advocacy services both in the community and in secure hospitals and secure units. Within the community, they operate from specific advocacy centres, advocacy surgeries held at various venues and advocates can also make home visits. Advocacy can take place on a one-to-one basis or be group based, for example via hospital patient councils, and information is also available by phone. Advocacy can be provided long-term or for short-term crisis needs. Advocacy is useful in dealing with many issues, including hospital admission and discharge, section renewals and management hearings, reviews and case conferences, complaints, requests to see medical records or for a second opinion and physical care needs. Contact Chris O'Sullivan Derwent Centre, Princess Alexander Hospital Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex CM20 1QX Telephone 01279 698839 Fax 01279 698839 Email harlowadv@rethink.org
		Harlow Community Transport (HCT) provides an accessible range of transport services for Harlow residents and local voluntary & community groups. Services provided by HCT are: Dial-A-Ride minibus service Group Transport Service Social Car Scheme Minibus driver training Contact Becci Court Aneurin Bevan Centre, Garden Terrace Road, Old Harlow, Essex, CM17 0AT Telephone 01279 446855
		Harlow Mind was established in August 2001. Our purpose is to empower people experiencing mental health problems and / or emotional distress. Services provided Advice / information Advocacy (carers only) Befriending scheme Careers advice Carers services Counselling (carers only) Day centre Drop-in Education / training (volunteers) IT groups / facilities Meals service Money / debt advice Service user group / service Support groups Volunteer opportunities Workshops Contact: Jacqueline Cadogan Latton Bush Centre, Southern Way, Harlow, Essex, CM18 7BL Telephone: 01279 421308 Fax: 01279 421308 email: admin@harlowmind.org
		U3A stands for the University of the Third Age, which is a self-help organisation for people no longer in full time employment providing educational, creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment. It consists of local U3As all over the UK, which are charities in their own right and are run entirely by volunteers. Local U3As are learning cooperatives which draw upon the knowledge, experience and skills of their own members to organise and provide interest groups in accordance with the wishes of the membership. The teachers learn and the learners teach. Between them U3A's offer the chance to study over 300 different subjects in such fields as art, languages, music, history, life sciences, philosophy, computing, crafts, photography and walking. A typical U3A has about 250 members but could be as small as 12 and as large as 2000. The U3A approach to learning is – learning for pleasure. There is no accreditation or validation and there are no assessments or qualifications to be gained. A branch will soon be opened in Harlow. Contact Margaret Jowett Telephone 01279-410360
Festiva Club		The mission of the Festiva Club is to enhance the members' life styles by eliminating isolation and loneliness at all ages. Primarily to help Black, Ethnic Minority (BME) residents of Harlow, the club is open to all with an interest in diversity and other cultures. The club was launched on 1st March 2008. What we do: Social evenings / events Cultural awareness events and training Informal confidence building sessions Young peoples activities Contact Margaret Lumu Telephone 01279-423789 Mobile 07921124597 Cost Variable modest cost dependent on the event email festiva-club@yahoo.co.uk

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