ABOUT US
The Essex Community Tree is a network of partner organisations who provide support for people that are experiencing mental ill-health and/or related problems.
The aim of this website is to show where to go for help in the area of Essex that you live. It is a website that will grow. Currently there are pages for:
- Basildon Billericay and Wickford
- Braintree
- Brentwood
- Castle Point, Rayleigh and Rochford
- Chelmsford
- Epping Forest District
- Maldon
If after looking at the information provided, you are still unsure, then please contact enquiries.essexcommunitytree@outlook.com or go to the Find Help page of this website for more detailed information.
ESSEX COMMUNITY TREE NETWORK (ECTN)
HISTORY
In 2011, Audrey Clark (managing director) and Tim Warncken (director) opened a print shop called Brentwood Community Print (BCP). This community interest company’s primary focus was to help people who were in recovery from various mental health and well being issues, by teaching them new skills, which ultimately built confidence. After some months, but sometimes years, many volunteers went on to find paid work. In March 2020, the print shop closed due to financial constraints.
One of BCP’s greatest attributes was networking. From 2011 onwards, contacts were made throughout the Brentwood area. Like minded mental health organisations, local businesses, Brentwood council and Essex county council, regularly linked up with us.
In 2012, Audrey had an idea to produce a leaflet, so that all the mental health organisations we knew at the time, could be found on a single point of contact. The leaflet was designed in house by the team at BCP and 12 organisations were on it.
Moving on to 2017 and that initial leaflet of 12 organisations became the first tree. Once the website was launched in 2017, the work to build a network of trees really began. The following three years saw the network expand to 7 trees and we now have 90 partners and nearly 220 points of contacts, supplying people with the necessary information to find mental health and well being support throughout large parts of Essex. All original ideas and graphics, came from the BCP team of volunteers. The website build, the booklet runs and leaflet printing, were funded by Essex Health Watch and Brentwood Borough Council. Other charities and voluntary services have also contributed over the years.
The challenge of building such a huge network of organisations, was a massive undertaking. It took a number of years to contact, meet, build trust and confidence. All the partners on the website, are like minded people, trying to achieve similar outcomes, by using their own individual techniques and keep in contact with each other.
The maintenance of the website is a real challenge. Contacts changing and people moving from post to post, becomes an issue. The Essex Community Tree Network rely on a very small team of people, who work hard to keep things updated. I would like to thank them for their hard work.
If a member of the public comes across an incorrect phone number, contact name, or email address, please let us know, by giving us the organisations name and area. I.E. Connect Well, Chelmsford and send it to
enquiries.essexcommunitytree@outlook.com
thank you.
THE FUTURE
After many years of service to BCP and ECTN, Audrey Clark and Tim Warncken have now retired. Without their drive and enthusiasm, both BCP and ECTN would not have existed.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION.
I am very pleased to announce that the ECTN have acquired the necessary funding to make some significant changes to the website. With the help of Lucy Gill, Jo Cory and Arsen Poghosyan, the Health and Equalities Fund have provided funds for a full website rebuild and during the summer of 2024, we will attempt to visit as many partners as we can, to conduct interviews for the website.
Audrey Clark and Tim Warncken have kindly come out of retirement to assist in the oversight of this large project.