Epping Forest’s largest emergency food agency is continuing to expand the services it provides to the community with a new project to help adults improve their numeracy skills.

3Food4U has teamed with Essex County Council to provide Essex Multiply, a new central government three-year scheme for those aged 19 and over.

The scheme goes beyond traditional maths and will also focus on everyday numeracy skills to help adults with household budgeting, debt management, bargain hunting, and with their children’s homework etc.

Epping Forest Guardian: Essex Wellbeing Service poster

This new partnership is in addition to 3Food4U’s free counselling/coaching health and wellbeing support, and free NHS health checks with Essex Wellbeing and Terrence Higgins Trust.

These services are available to everyone in the community and take place at all of the charity’s hubs once a month and on demand.

3Food4U’s free Social & Warm Places sessions are also expanding with a new monthly Loughton session launching on January 12 which is being supported by Find Your Active - West Essex /Essex County Council.

In addition to the usual activities of singing, dancing, bingo, word games and puzzles, a chair yoga class will also be delivered.

Epping Forest Guardian:

The sessions are open to anyone who would like to socialise, and are dementia friendly for people with varying degrees of memory issues and those who love and care for them. Free light refreshments are provided.

Four sessions take place a month at the following times and locations across Epping Forest:

  • First Monday of the month, 3.30 pm to 5.30pm at All Saints Church Hall, Chigwell Row
  • Third Wednesday of the month, 10am to 12pm at St James' Church Hall, Ongar
  • Third Thursday of the month, 2pm to 4pm at Loughton Club, 8 Station Road IG10 4NX
  • Last Friday of the month, 2.30 pm to 4.30pm at Waltham Abbey Baptist Church Hall

3Food4U has a fundraising page at https://www.stewardship.org.uk/partners/20356308. The community surplus hubs are open as follows:

  • Monday: Waltham Abbey - 13 Sun Street - 11.30am to 1pm
  • Tuesday: Loughton - Loughton Club, 8 Station Road - 11.30am to 1pm
  • Wednesday: Chigwell Row - All Saints Church Hall, Romford Road - 5pm to 6.30pm
  • Thursday: Ongar - Zinc Arts Centre, High Street - 1pm to 2.30pm
  • Friday: Waltham Abbey - 13, Sun Street - 11.30am to 1pm

For further details, visit 3food4u.org, email info.3food4u@gmail.com or call 01992 842642.