Community Page
Advice, help and support, as well as volunteering opportunities, suitable for older people in Somerset may be obtainable via the links below.
Please contact the Webmaster if you find a broken link, or to suggest additional entries
| General | ||
| Age UK Somerset | Local charity which works to make later life an enjoyable and fulfilling experience for older people in Somerset and North Somerset. | |
| Citizens Advice | Free confidential advice whoever you are. We help people overcome their problems and campaign on big issues when their voices need to be heard. | |
| First Stop Advice | An independent, impartial and free service offering advice and information to older people, their families and carers about housing and care options for later life. | |
| Independent Age | Whatever happens as we get older, we all want to remain independent and live life on our own terms. That’s why, as well as offering regular friendly contact and a strong campaigning voice, Independent Age can provide you and your family with clear, free and impartial advice on the issues that matter: care and support, money and benefits, health and mobility. | |
| TrustMark Approved Tradesperson | Government-backed quality scheme that signposts people to reputable local firms and expert tradespeople working to Government-endorsed standards. All TrustMark firms are uniquely checked for their trading practices, customer service and their technical skills. | |
| Somerset Village Agents Project | Providing people in Somerset’s rural communities with easier access to information and services. | |
| Counselling | ||
| Samaritans | We offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you. You don’t have to be suicidal. | |
| Education | ||
| Workers Educational Association | We pride ourselves in delivering a wide range of courses not only geographically but also a rich variety of types of provision. | |
| Massive Open Online Courses | Study without pressure. Large amounts of knowledge are easily available through online courses | |
| Free Online Courses | Join 6,919,869 people learning together at FutureLearn. Try high quality online education – enjoy free online courses from top universities and specialist organisations. | |
| Health | ||
| Somerset Dementia Advisor | Designed to ensure you get the most out of life by guiding you to all the information you need, not only about your illness, but also where to find the most appropriate services in your local area. | |
| Parkinsons UK | The Parkinson's charity that drives better care, treatments and quality of life. Because we're here, no one has to face Parkinson's alone. | |
| Find a NHS Dentist | Helping put you in charge of your healthcare | |
| Toenail Cutting Service | The mention of this service often raises a smile, but it is a serious response to a serious problem. Toenails don't stop growing and can cause difficulties if they are not regularly cut. | |
| Bladder & Bowel Community | We help support the millions of people in the UK who are living with conditions that affect their bladder or bowel. | |
| St Margarets Hospice | At the heart of Somerset’s community for over 37 years, delivering high quality, responsive and compassionate care to patients and their families facing a life-limiting illness. | |
| Macmillan | Our ambitio is to reach and improve the lives of everyone living with cancer and to inspire millions of others to do the same. | |
| Arthritis Care | Whether you’ve been recently diagnosed with arthritis, living with it for some while or think you may have the early signs, we’re here for you. | |
| Housing | ||
| Shelter | Helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through advice, support and legal services. | |
| Elderly Accommodation Counsel | Aims to help older people make informed choices about meeting their housing and care needs. | |
| Humanitarian | ||
| Red Cross | A volunteer-led humanitarian organisation that helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. | |
| Oxfam | When disaster strikes Oxfam's priority is to start saving lives, then to help people come back stronger. We make sure people can get clean water to drink and decent sanitation. We provide help for people to get food and the essentials they need to survive and ensure the most vulnerable are kept safe from harm. We support them in being better prepared to cope with shocks and uncertainties and we help rebuild communities to come back stronger from disaster and to face the future on their own terms. | |
| Disaster Emergency Cttee | DEC only appeal when we know we can help. We bring together 13 leading UK aid charities in times of crisis. Since our launch in 1963, we have run 69 appeals and raised more than £1.4 billion - saving millions of lives and rebuilding communities devastated by disasters. | |
| Legal | ||
| Civil Legal Advice | You might be able to get free and confidential advice from Civil Legal Advice (CLA) as part of legal aid if you’re in England or Wales. | |
| Money | ||
| Money Advice Service | Free and impartial money advice, set up by government | |
| Tax Help for Older People | A national charity, based in Dorset, available through a low-cost phone line. We provide free professional tax advice for older people on lower annual incomes. | |
| Pet/Animal Welfare | ||
| PDSA GB | The UK’s leading veterinary charity | |
| National Animal Welfare Trust | West Henley centre, just outside of Langport, rehomes a wide variety of animals. Apart from the extensive kennels and cattery there are stables and paddocks for donkeys and ponies. The farm area accommodates goats and we have a pond and poultry enclosure for ducks, geese and chickens. | |
| Blue Cross | Pets are at the heart of everything we do. Each year, thousands of cats, dogs, small pets and horses turn to our animal hospitals, clinics and rehoming services for treatment and to find them the happy homes they deserve. Meanwhile, our Education and Behaviour Teams prepare future pet owners to take responsibility and look after their pets for life. | |
| Cats Protection | Taking in lost and unwanted cats, and finding new homes for them. Also encourages neutering and advises on general cat welfare problems. | |
| Travel | ||
| Traveline | A partnership of transport companies, local authorities and passenger groups which have come together to bring you routes and times for all travel in Great Britain by bus, rail, coach and ferry, and to provide it in as many different ways as we can so that you can always reach us. | |
| Concessionary Travel Passes | English National Concessionary Travel Scheme passes are available for Somerset residents who are of pensionable age or eligible on the grounds of disability. The pass allows you to travel free on buses in every area of England, with certain time restrictions. | |
| Demand-responsive Travel | Slinky is an accessible bus service for people who can’t use conventional transport. The service is for things like getting to local health appointments, visiting friends and relatives, going shopping and as a link to other public transport. |