Services
Here at Belle’s we offer a huge range of support, advice and services delivered directly by our volunteers or by the service professionals and organisations who work with us.
The services shown below form part of those currently available at Belle’s Place and highlight how each one is being delivered and developed.
If you feel that you or someone you know would benefit from using any of our services please check out our Timetable or Contact Us.
If you are interested in volunteering your services or can assist with any donations please drop in for a chat or Contact Us.
Calls regularly and has seen two clients to date.
We began working with Sexual Health in August 2022, since then we have had 8 individuals engage with them with the supply of condoms and lube. Engagement to date has been limited. Sexual health were initially attending Belle’s on a monthly basis which is now bi-monthly offering advice on STI’s and safe sex, hygiene and advice on HIV.
Sarah has attended monthly and advises on overall hygiene and provides both toothbrushes and toothpaste for the attendees. To date* there have been 6 referrals to dental services for treatment and we can now self refer as non-professionals which has been a positive move.
The interaction has been most welcomed and the building of trust with the clients has resulted in treatment, specifically for dry mouth and pain management directly related to alcohol abuse.
*26th November
The Hep C Trust carry out screening for blood borne diseases such as Hep C, Syphilis and HIV. They offer a £5 voucher for participating in the screening process and treatment should anyone test positive.
Belle’s Place are C Card registered and we currently* have 11 young people that are using this service.
*as at 26th Nov 2023
This is a drop in fortnightly service that has been running since June 2023 as a pilot undertaken by two local GPs taking the surgery sessions in turn.
The service is being evaluated by the South West Academic Health and Science Network and the Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust.
We have carried out interviews with the cohort both pre and post-surgery drop ins which have been invaluable in identifying the reasons for non-engagement with health services.
We have also identified other vulnerability issues that have come to light such as lack of literacy and the need to address the need for a mental health drop in service.
The results are showing that there has been a very positive benefit to all which includes the GPs providing the service.
Direct quote from Phil at DevonMind who attends Belle’s monthly.
The benefits of Belle’s Place extends beyond this (referring to statistical data) It gives a place where everone is validated, has a caring community and a reason to continue to exist. It also provides hot food – something more and more people are struggling to come by. Ilfracombe itself has unique struggles – isolation as a community that can not be understood by anyone who has not visited the area. Ongoing physical and mental health difficulties that include anxiety relating to specific injuries that gain some respite at Belle’s Place.
Details to follow
We offer a free, no questions asked, needle exchange service.
This is a relatively new service and we are slowly building up a regular client base.
Drugs & Alcohol (Together) attend on a weekly basis to give support and counseling in regard to addiction.
An officer attends Belle’s on a regular basis to help, advise and support on access to housing. We have helped numerous people to accommodation where we have managed to get temporary accommodation for over 30 people in Ilfracombe.
Details to follow
Alongside our main summer school uniform project we receive an average of 4 requests per week throughout the year for uniform. This is usually attributable to families being placed in emergency accommodation as well as children outgrowing/losing uniform.
Details to follow
A hot meal is provided 6 days a week where there can be as many as 39 clients to be fed, they can also access food from the food bank and toiletries here as well as a hot shower of they want one.
We offer a hot shower to anyone who wants one.
We can and do regularly provide tents, sleeping bags and toiletries for those who have no other option or that choose to sleep rough.
Visits weekly and cuts anyone who needs to have their hair or beard cut.
We offer online access to anyone that needs it
During the last round of Household Support Fund Grants, Belle’s Place was a referral agency and completed over 400 applications with clients.
