Neighbourhood Support Services
As a neighbourhood-based charity, b inspired works to serve and support the community of Braunstone, Leicester. Our Neighbourhood Support Team works alongside and for the community to support local people, helping them to address the issues they face in their everyday lives. The team work to organise and deliver local initiatives and projects, aiming to provide real benefits for all our residents – Together we are stronger!
The Neighbourhood Support Team deliver a variety of services. This consists primarily of a Foodbank, ‘Braunstone Foodshare’ and Befriending Service, ‘Braunstone Befriending Service'. We also produce a community magazine, ‘The Braunstone Alert’, provide volunteering opportunities and facilitate training for local residents.
As well as this, we work hard to collaborate with other service providers and partners and facilitate the provision of additional support to residents - such as CALC (Community Advice & Law Centre), EnergyWise, Local Councillors, Social Landlords and more. We also deliver a wide range of other short and long term projects, thanks to funding from various providers.
Our services exist almost exclusively to support people living in the LE3 1 (Braunstone) area.
Foodbank
One of the ways we serve the community is through our foodbank scheme, Braunstone Foodshare. The purpose of Braunstone Foodshare is to work towards alleviating food poverty in Braunstone. This is a means-tested, membership-based scheme, that is available to people in need who live within the LE3 1 postcode area.
Braunstone Foodshare has been developed to provide members with independence, choice and affordability, to help ease the burden of the cost of living. Alongside access to food, the Neighbourhood Support Team provide ongoing engagement and encouragement to support residents to improve their circumstances and overall wellbeing. The scheme can help members make their money stretch further, by encouraging them to include the scheme costs into their weekly food shop budget – helping them to save money on products that are available through the scheme.
When a local resident gets in touch to request our support, we will initially give them a one-off emergency food bag. If the person needs longer-term support, then the next step is to apply to become a member via a sign-up process - to determine their eligibility and understand their needs. Eligible members of the scheme are then able to access food provision, according to when they need it - collected from b inspired’s Neighbourhood Support Base, Gallards Hill, LE3 1QR.
To refer yourself, or someone else to Braunstone Foodshare, please use the Emergency Referral Form below. A member of the team will contact you to arrange for you to collect an emergency food parcel and make the necessary steps to provide with you with ongoing support, if required.
Wellbeing Services
The Getting Help in Neighbourhoods fund enables b inspired to integrate activities and guidance, designed to help you take control of your own wellbeing. Developing on from our 'Get Connected, Stay Well' project, the current Wellbeing Programme, alongside existing services, aims to empower individuals to improve their health and resilience, building a stronger, more connected community in the process.
Men’s Group
The Men’s Group is a weekly group for men aged 18+ to come together and take part in a variety of activities; including gardening, growing veg, street clean-ups, basic repair jobs and other practical activities.
The Men’s Group is available to people who live in the LE3 1 postcode area. The group is free to attend, but a financial contribution may be required to take part in additional activities, such as trips out.
Please see our What’s On page to see current details for Men’s Group planned activities.
Additional Wellbeing services and activities
As well as the groups that take place on a weekly basis, b inspired’s Wellbeing Programme also features; one-off activities and events (e.g. afternoon teas), as well as informal learning sessions on how to improve your wellbeing and 1-1 support sessions, with personalised tips and tricks. Details of specific activities and sessions, as well as how to get involved, can be found on the ‘What’s On’ page. These include Dance and Health, Walking Football and Walking Group, all of which are delivered weekly at The Grove Community Hub.
Our Wellbeing Programme is about more than just support – it’s about creating a welcoming space where you feel safe, heard and encouraged to take the next steps towards a healthier, happier life.
We focus on six key areas of wellbeing:
Wellbeing Questionnaire
Help Us Support You...
If you’re ready to take that first step and have referred yourself to one of our services, we invite you to complete our quick Wellbeing Questionnaire (link below).
This short check-in helps you reflect on how you’re currently feeling and allows us to offer the most suitable support, tailored to your needs.
Referrals from professionals are also welcome (with your prior consent); helping to ensure you receive the right support at the right time.
Why Your Wellbeing Matters…
Having good wellbeing isn’t just about the absence of problems – it’s about feeling good in yourself, being able to cope with life’s challenges and building positive relationships. Our Neighbourhood Support Team see wellbeing as a positive, empowering state of mind – feeling confident, thinking clearly and managing the day-to-day with resilience. To support this, we use a simple, evidence-based tool called the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). It helps you reflect on how you’re doing and enables us to tailor support that works for you.
Completing the questionnaire is a small but powerful step towards taking control of your own wellbeing. Better wellbeing can boost your health, relationships, learning, and overall quality of life – which is why we care and why we want to get it right for you.
Please complete the questionnaire now – it’s an important first step towards the support you deserve.
Braunstone Befriending Service
Part of our Wellbeing Programme, the Befriending Service, aims to tackle loneliness and social isolation amongst the older population of the Braunstone community (people aged 50 plus), by providing positive engaging activities and 1-1 support.
This is delivered in two key strands; Talk Time social group and At-home or telephone befriending. If you of someone you know may benefit from accessing our Befriending Service, then please complete the Befriending Referral Form below or contact the Neighbourhood Support Team: [email protected], give us a call on 0116 279 5020, or pop in to see us.
Talk Time Social Group
Our weekly over 50’s social group, Talk Time, is a friendly group of people who come together, to participate in a range of activities and enjoy a positive social experience.
Talk Time is only available to people living in the LE3 1 postcode area and a small contribution of £2 is required to attend each session, to help towards refreshments and activities. Please see our What’s On page to see current details for Talk Time planned activities.
At-home befriending
B inspired offer a tailored at-home and telephone befriending service, for people who are housebound, or do not leave their house often, to help reduce isolation and loneliness.
Befriendee’s are paired with a suitable volunteer who will telephone them on a weekly basis for a chat and catch-up. Alternatively, a member of staff will telephone the person weekly.
The At-home befriending service is for people who live in the LE3 1 postcode area.
If you, or someone you know, would like to access this support, please use the Befriending Referral Form and a member of the team will contact you to discuss this further.
Volunteering
Our Neighbourhood Support Service provides various volunteering opportunities, for people to get involved and participate in meaningful activities. There are volunteering roles available within Braunstone Foodshare, Braunstone Befriending Service, the Braunstone Alert magazine and more. Some of the volunteering opportunities we offer require a longer-term commitment, but there are also opportunities to volunteer as part of short-term projects.
You can find out more about volunteering with b inspired by clicking here.
Braunstone Alert
The Braunstone Alert is a bi-monthly community magazine, produced and published by the Neighbourhood Support Team, with 2500 copies of each edition being distributed throughout Braunstone.
Each edition usually includes a variety of local updates and photographs, as well as positive local stories and useful up-to-date information, such as events happening in the area. We also offer advertising space to businesses and organisations, at competitive rates.
|
Size |
Dimensions |
Price |
|---|---|---|
|
Business card |
5cm x 9cm |
£40 +VAT |
|
Quarter page |
14.75cm x 10.5cm |
£105 +VAT |
|
Half page |
21cm x 14.5cm |
£175 +VAT |
|
Full page |
21cm x 29cm |
£210 +VAT |
All adverts are offered in full colour.
The Alert is distributed by volunteers and the Neighbourhood Support Team, both door-to-door and to various community hubs throughout Braunstone e.g. schools, churches, shops and community centres.
The Alert is also available online. The most recent editions can be seen here.
Neighbourhood Management Board (NMB)
In 2008, b inspired launched a Neighbourhood Management Board (NMB), which was made up of local key service providers e.g. Housing, Health, Police, Children’s Services and other organisations. Meeting every couple of months to discuss what support is available for residents and to share information.
In 2025, to meet changing needs this has transitioned into a local networking group with the aim of providing organisations/individuals working in Braunstone with the opportunity to meet, share plans, explore partnership opportunities and update on new developments.
If you are not currently a member of this network and wish to engage, please contact [email protected] to find out the details of the next meeting.
Interested in finding out more...?
Up-to-date information on b inspired’s Neighbourhood Support Services can be found in the News section of this website, as well as on our social media pages and in The Braunstone Alert magazine.
For more information on any of our services, or to request our support, please get in touch or visit us:
Neighbourhood Support Team at Gallards Hill, LE3 1QR on 0116 279 5020 or email [email protected].