Siobhan suffers from high levels of anxiety, depression and physical health issues which effect her every day life, and whilst waiting for an appointment at the hospital, is looking after her 6 year old son. Siobhan was referred to the Community Hub and despite feeling very isolated, was open to understanding more about what they had to offer.
It’s thought that over 7% of people living in the UK are effected by social isolation, impacted by a lack of friends, nearby relatives and general social life. Siobhan quite easily fit into this category, however felt motivated enough to source a range of social activities that she and her son could get involved in; create memories, make friends, feel part of their local community.
How did we support?
Siobhan’s confidence was low and due to the decline in her physical and mental health, found that she was losing weight and her clothes didn’t properly fit her. Despite this, she was keen to change her situation and alongside her engagement worker, quickly identified the support needed to get them back on track. An application under the Help Support Fund was quickly accepted, giving Siobhan a chance to buy some new clothes and secure food at a local food bank, taking any extra stress and financial worry away.
With the full support of the Community Hub behind her, Siobhan felt confident enough to try a range of activities within her local area. After trying her hand at a Crafty Arts Class, Siobhan’s real love came in the form of a boxing class ran by Boost, immediately reducing her stress levels and quite literally boosting her confidence from the get-go! Despite her anxiety very nearly stopping her from returning, Siobhan’s engagement worker put together a travel plan to attend the sessions together.
With a sense of purpose and direction, Siobhan was slowly but surely increasing the amount of activities she could do independently. Siobhan was now attending her face-to-face counselling sessions after anxiety caused a prolonged absence, she registered and visited The Stockport Women’s Centre and has started to attend ARC, a local mums group, with friends she has made at her sons school.
The future
The future now looks bright with plans afoot for Siobhan and her son to make the most of their community, claiming their bond has grown even stronger thanks to the support of The Community Hub. Siobhan feel’s confident enough to re-join Boost and their boxing classes where possible too!
