Our Work
Our Work
Get in touch to see how we can work together.
Get in touch to see how we can work together.
Get in touch to see how we can work together.
Our My Social Prescription® team helps people in Colchester and Tendring connect with local support, activities, and opportunities to improve wellbeing, build confidence, and stay connected.
Get in touch to see how we can work together.
Get in touch to see how we can work together.
Our Community Transport service offers affordable, reliable door-to-door travel across Colchester, Chelmsford and Maldon — reducing isolation and bridging transport inequality in Essex.
Get in touch to see how we can work together.
We’re working with Healthwatch Essex and CVS Tendring to uncover the strengths, services, and support that already exist within our communities. Our latest reports focus on Childhood Asthma, Frailty, and Hypertension help local partners better understand community needs and improve health outcomes.
Get in touch to see how we can work together.
We are working with Macmillan Cancer Support to explore the experiences of marginalised groups in Essex- such as those with sensory loss, learning disabilities, ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, veterans, and low-income households in accessing cancer care and services.
Get in touch to see how we can work together.
Our Impact
Our impact is measured in the lives we touch and the connections we create.
Our Projects
Community Roots
Led By David Courtier, Head of Community Roots
Through Community Roots Accounting Services we help charities and social enterprises build sustainable infrastructures with expert financial, strategic, and leadership support that strengthens communities.
Providing expert, affordable accountancy support for charities, CICs, non-profits and small businesses — from bookkeeping and payroll to independent examinations and financial guidance.
Connecting Communities
Led By Ola Akinniyi , Head of Connecting Communities
Connecting Communities helps bridge the gap in transport poverty by providing accessible, affordable travel that improves access to essential services, strengthens local partnerships, and reduces isolation.
Community Transport
Our Community Transport service offers affordable, reliable door-to-door travel across Colchester, Chelmsford and Maldon — reducing isolation and bridging transport inequality in Essex.
Essential Living Fund (ELF)
Providing emergency help with food, fuel, clothing and household essentials, the Essential Living Fund supports people in Essex facing severe financial hardship.
The Essential Living Fund (ELF) is a local welfare support scheme available in some parts of England, including Essex. It’s designed to help people facing exceptional financial hardship who cannot meet their immediate basic needs.
Members of the community may qualify if you are 16+, live in Essex, are on a low income, and:
- Are setting up in the community after care, prison, or a hostel stay
- Face exceptional pressures (e.g. relationship breakdown, disability changes, sudden upheaval)
- Have urgent short-term needs due to an unforeseen emergency or disaster
Support can include beds, bedding, clothing, limited white goods, and furniture. Proof of income and savings is required, and only one award per item is given each year.
In Essex, applications are managed by Southend Borough Council on behalf of Essex County Council, and you generally need to apply online or by phone, often with the help of an advice agency.
Bed Poverty
The Bed Poverty Scheme provides essential beds and mattresses to individuals and families in need, helping to improve health, comfort, and quality of life for those without access to a suitable place to sleep.
Hospital Discharge Service
The hospital discharge service provides safe, reliable transport for patients leaving hospital, ensuring they return home promptly and with the right support in place.
Our Hospital Discharge Service provides safe, reliable transport for patients leaving hospital, taking them home or to a care setting with the right support in place. Between April 2024 and April 2025, we completed over 1,800 journeys — helping hospitals maintain patient flow and giving people confidence as they transition back to independence.
To get in touch with our Community Transport Team contact us on 01206 216600 or email ct@community360.org.uk
Connecting Care
Led By Georgia Bavington, Head of Connecting Care
From personalised support through My Social Prescription® to safe hospital discharges, temporary accommodation with Stepping Stones, and community connections, C360 helps people stay well, independent, and supported at every stage of life.
My Social Prescription®
C360’s My Social Prescription® team helps people in Colchester and Tendring connect with local support, activities, and opportunities to improve wellbeing, build confidence, and stay connected.
Colchester Hospital and Broomfield Hospital Discharge
Our Social Prescribers support timely discharges and connect patients, families, and carers with local services – helping maintain wellbeing at home and reducing readmissions.
Based at Broomfield Hospital, Colchester General, and Clacton and Harwich Community Hospitals, our Social Prescribers work alongside clinical and non-clinical teams to support safe, timely discharges. By focusing on what matters to each individual, they provide practical resources, tailored support, and clear information — connecting patients, families, and carers to local services that help maintain wellbeing at home and reduce the risk of readmission.
Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones offers temporary accommodation with tailored care and equipment, helping people regain independence, avoid unnecessary admissions, and confidently return home or move to suitable housing.
We provide operational support for an Adult Social Care scheme offering short-term accommodation for individuals who need extra help to regain independence. The flats, located within extra care or sheltered housing, come with access to tailored care, equipment, and technology.
This service acts as a vital stepping stone:
- Supporting timely discharge from hospital or residential care
- Preventing avoidable admissions
- Building confidence and independence so people can return home or move on to more suitable housing with or without ongoing support.
Research, Engagement, and Insight
Led By Louise Willsher, Director of Strategy and Impact
We actively advocate for building a better understanding of the role of the voluntary and community sector in adding value to the places where we live and operate. We encourage evidence-led practice in the sector, facilitating innovative applications of data for the benefit of community action, and establishing positive partnerships for collaborative working.
Community-led Research and Partnership Working
Community Asset Mapping
In collaboration with Healthwatch Essex and CVS Tendring we have produced a series of reports and will continue to work in new areas. Our ABCD informed approach blends descriptive mapping exercises with lived experience, ensuring recommendations are appropriate for beneficiaries of services.
MacmIllan Community Voices
Evaluation
A Focus on Transport Poverty
Conference and Academic Activity
We are active in academic and sector-based research communities, presenting our research and learning at conferences. We collaborate with others to find innovative impacting solutions to help shape stronger communities.
Ready to Make Impact?
Get involved with us in one of the following ways
