A new social prescribing and wellbeing hub has opened in Whitton, with the aim of treating the social causes of poor health and wellbeing.
Called The Unity Centre, the hub is located on Meredith Road in Ipswich and will be a base for a number of local organisations to deliver their services from.
The new hub will aim to work with and support families, young people and adults to learn new skills, improve their health and wellbeing, find employment and develop confidence to achieve their goals and transform their lives.
Organisations based at the hub will include P.H.O.E.B.E, which provides information and advocacy to BAME women, and Fresh Start New Beginnings, which offers therapeutic support to children and young people who have reported sexual abuse and their families.
Active Suffolk, which promotes sports and physical activity and Suffolk Refugee Support, offering practical advice and support to refugees and asylum seekers, will also be based at the centre.
A new community cafe has also been established by Combat2Coffee and will be run by recovering veterans. Combat2Coffee will be working alongside Hollesley Bay prisoners who will be roasting the beans for the cafe.
The facility is being funded by Community Ambitions Fund, in partnership with the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System and the Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity along with the Captain Tom Foundation.
Louise Hardwick, head of partnerships and alliance delivery for NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “I am so pleased to see the opening of this new hub, which is set to benefit so many people.
“As well as enabling local organisations to reach out to people, the hub will also be a valuable resource for widening the reach of social prescribing, by enabling health professionals to refer people to those organisations based within the new centre, to best support their health and wellbeing needs.”
The Unity Centre will be opened on September 9 by local man and ex-Spurs footballer Ruel Fox.
Local people are invited to attend a special drop-in event to celebrate its opening on September 9 from 3-5pm at The Unity Centre (part of the Whitton Clinic), Meredith Road, Ipswich IP1 6ED.
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